北京 · Beijing

Food

• 来一只烤鸭。lái yì zhǐ kǎo yā。A whole roast duck, please.只 is the measure word for one whole duck.
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• 甜面酱在哪儿？tián miàn jiàng zài nǎr？Where is the sweet bean sauce?The pancake, scallion, and cucumber go with the duck.
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• 不要葱。bú yào cōng。No scallion.Say it when the plate arrives, then add 谢谢.
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• 打包。dǎ bāo。Pack it to go.Use it at the end of the meal.
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Scenery

• 故宫怎么走？gù gōng zěn me zǒu？How do I get to the Forbidden City?故宫 is the palace. The gate on the avenue is 天安门.
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• 请给我一张门票。qǐng gěi wǒ yì zhāng mén piào。One ticket, please.Hold up one finger if the window is noisy.
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• 可以拍照吗？kě yǐ pāi zhào ma？May I take a photo?Some halls do not allow it. Ask before you raise the phone.
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• 长城远吗？cháng chéng yuǎn ma？Is the Great Wall far?It sits outside the city. Ask which section before you get in a car.
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Culture

• 这是四合院吗？zhè shì sì hé yuàn ma？Is this a courtyard house?Ask from the lane. A closed gate is someone's home.
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• 今晚有京剧吗？jīn wǎn yǒu jīng jù ma？Is there Peking opera tonight?京剧 is the opera. You can also point at a poster.
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• 这个字怎么读？zhège zì zěn me dú？How is this character read?Point at one character, not the whole sign.
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• 请说慢一点。qǐng shuō màn yì diǎn。Please say it more slowly.A polite line when the answer comes too fast.
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• The duck

  Peking duck is wrapped in a thin pancake with scallion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce. Say 不要葱 if you want it without scallion.

• The palace

  故宫 is the museum inside the old palace. 天安门 is the gate facing Chang'an Avenue. They are not the same ticket.

• The lanes

  胡同 are the lanes. A 四合院 behind a shut door is a house, not a sight to walk into.

One day

A day and a taste. Four lines to say, morning through evening. It is not a booking and not a ticket time.

A shop sign

Optional. A photo of a sign comes back as one phrase to say next. The photo is not stored. If the characters don't come back, the page does not invent a shop.