The survival pack
What to learn, in what order
About a hundred phrases daily life in China runs on, in the order you'll need them — and 34 characters worth knowing on sight. Don't build your own list; choosing is friction.
How to learn a phrase by ear
The goal is a direct link from sound to meaning, skipping the pinyin middleman. In conversation, words arrive as sound — build that path from day one.
01 · Hear first
Sound → meaning → sound
Play the phrase, glance at the meaning, play it again. The pinyin is a reference, not the thing you memorise.
02 · Echo aloud
Say it back at once
Match the melody, 3–5 reps, out loud. If you can't say it, you won't catch it when someone else does.
03 · Shuffle & recall
Both directions
Mix the day's phrases. Hear one, produce the meaning before looking. Then the reverse: see the English, say the Chinese.
04 · Say it for real
Within 48 hours
Every phrase gets used on your tutor, the AI or a shopkeeper. A phrase you've said to a human is worth ten you've reviewed.
For audio, ask your tutor to record the survival pack in session 1 (ten minutes well spent), and use Pleco for single words. The speaker buttons here use your phone's built-in voice — handy on the metro, but the tutor's recording is the reference.
The survival pack
Days 1–6: one cluster a day · day 7: sweep · days 8–9: clusters 07–08. Items marked you'll hear are for your ears — recognise them, no need to say them. Pinyin shows 不 and 一 with the tone you actually say (bú yào, yí ge); third-tone pairs are written as usual but the first one rises: nǐ hǎo → ní hǎo.
01Lifelines
Day 1- 听不懂
I don't understand (what I hear)
- 请说慢一点
please speak more slowly
- 再说一遍
say it again
- 什么意思？
what does it mean?
- …用中文怎么说？
how do you say … in Chinese?
- 这个叫什么？
what's this called?
- 我的中文不太好
my Chinese isn't very good
- 我在学中文
I'm learning Chinese
- 等一下
wait a moment
- 我不知道
I don't know
Learn these first. They turn a failed exchange into a lesson instead of an exit.
02Politeness & reactions
Day 2- 你好
hello
- 谢谢
thanks
- 不客气
you're welcome
- 不好意思
excuse me / sorry — the everyday one
- 对不起
I'm sorry — a real apology
- 没事 · 没关系
no problem, it's fine
- 请问…
excuse me, may I ask …
- 麻烦你
sorry to trouble you / could you …
- 好的
OK, sure
- 对
right, yes — 对对对 = exactly
- 拜拜
bye — more common than 再见
不好意思 is the everyday "excuse me / sorry" — far more common than 对不起. 请问 opens any question to a stranger.
03Numbers & money
Day 3- 一 二 三 四 五
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5
- 六 七 八 九 十
6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10
- 零
zero
- 百 · 千 · 万
hundred · thousand · ten thousand
- 两
two (before a measure word)
- 块
yuan — the spoken word, for any payment
- 几
how many (small numbers)
- 多少
how many / how much
Numbers build left to right: 二十 (20) is "two-ten", 三百 "three-hundred", 一千二百五十 is 1,250. Before a measure word say 两 (两个, 两块), and usually 两千, 两万; when counting and inside numbers (十二, 二十) it's 二. 万 is its own unit: 50,000 is 五万, not 五十千. Prices: 十二块五 = ¥12.50. In phone and room numbers, 一 is often said yāo.
04Food & ordering
Day 4- 几位？You'll hear
how many of you?
- 老板
boss — how you address an owner
- 服务员
waiter — to call the staff
- 我要这个
I'll have this one
- 一个 · 两个
one · two (of them)
- 不要辣
not spicy, please
- 微辣
a little spicy
- 有没有…？
do you have …?
- 在这儿吃
to eat here
- 打包
to go — pack it up
- 就这些
that's all
- 买单
the bill, please
- 好吃
delicious
这儿 (zhèr) is northern; in the south you'll hear 这里 (zhèlǐ). Both work everywhere.
05Paying & shopping
Day 5- 多少钱？
how much?
- 太贵了
too expensive
- 便宜一点
a bit cheaper?
- 我扫你
I'll scan your code
- 你扫我
you scan mine
- 微信 · 支付宝
WeChat · Alipay
- 我看看
I'm just looking
- 就这个
just this one
- 要袋子吗？You'll hear
want a bag?
- 有会员吗？You'll hear
are you a member?
扫 (sǎo) = scan. Nearly every payment is a QR code, so this cluster gets used daily.
06Getting around
Day 6- …在哪儿？
where is …?
- 厕所 · 洗手间
toilet
- 地铁站
metro station
- 附近
nearby — 附近有…吗？
- 师傅
driver — how you address one
- 我要去…
I'd like to go to …
- 左 · 右
left · right
- 一直走
go straight on
- 在这儿停
stop here
- 到了
we're here
- 远吗？
is it far?
Address drivers and workers as 师傅. In the south, 在哪里 (zài nǎlǐ) is more common than 在哪儿.
07Delivery & home
Day 8- 外卖
food delivery
- 快递
parcel, courier
- 放门口
leave it at the door
- 我马上下来
I'm coming down now
- 几楼？
which floor?
- 几号？
which number? which date?
- 手机号
phone number
- 取件码
parcel pickup code
- 坏了
it's broken
- 可以帮我吗？
can you help me?
取件码 is the code for parcel stations and lockers — you'll be asked for it.
08About you
Day 9- 我叫…
my name is …
- 我是…人
I'm from … (country + 人)
- 我在…工作
I work at / in …
- 我住在…
I live in …
- 我来中国…了
I've been in China for … (两年了)
- 你是哪里人？
where are you from?
- 你呢？
and you?
- 你做什么工作？
what do you do?
- 我喜欢…
I like …
- 周末
weekend — 你周末做什么？
Your two-minute self-introduction is built from this cluster. Rehearse it with the AI until it's automatic.
Week 2 · five a day in your flashcards
Thirty-four characters worth knowing on sight
Speaking-first doesn't mean illiterate in the street. These cover toilets, doors, metro exits and most of a menu. Recognise them; don't write them.
Signs & getting around
The menu