Qingming Festival is just around the corner, and soon we will have an extra holiday day in May! Do you already have plans for it? Traveling in China can be either quite a convenience or a big hassle, especially when it comes to booking a train ticket. With one of the largest and busiest railway networks in the world, trains in China connect almost every town and city. Still, booking a train ticket can be rather user-unfriendly when you encounter a language barrier. Here are some handy words and sentences to help you buy a train ticket.
Types of trains and train tickets
Local train
慢车 mán chē
High-speed train
高铁; 动车 gāo tiě ; dòng chē
Special express
特快专列 tè kuài zhuān liè
Single ticket
单程票 dān chéng piào
Return ticket
返程票 fǎn chéng piào
Types of train seats
Hard seat
硬坐 yìng zuò
Soft seat
软坐 ruǎn zuò
Hard sleeper
硬卧 yìng wò
Soft sleeper
软卧 ruǎn wò
Standing ticket
站票 zhàn piào
First-class seat
一等座 yī děng zuò
Second-class seat
二等座 èr děng zuò
Coach/economy class seat
经济舱 jīng jì cāng
Business-class seat
商务座 shāng wù zuò
How to buy train tickets
There are two main ways to buy train tickets in China. One is to buy online. The easiest way to do this is via trip.com as they have an English version, and also a hotline in English. However, you can’t print tickets purchased online, you need to pick up the physical ticket at the train station. Alternatively you can buy at the station. However you must bring your passport with you – no passport, no ticket! Be aware that most train tickets can only be booked 30 days before departure, or 28 days in advance at railway stations or local ticket offices.
Phrases
I want to buy two train tickets to Beijing.
我要买两张去北京的火车票。Wǒ yào mǎi liǎng zhāng qù Beijīng de huǒ chē piào.
What date do you want?
你要几号的？ Ní yào jǐ hào de？
I want to buy a ticket on 6th.
我要买六号的。Wǒ yào mǎi liù hào de.
Do you want to buy first-class seats or second-class?
你要一等座还是二等座？Ní yào yī děng zuò hái shì èr děng zuò?
Hard seat or soft seat?
硬座还是软座？Yìng zuò hái shì ruǎn zuò？
I want to buy the soft seat one, thank you!
我要买软座，谢谢！ Wǒ yào mǎi ruǎn zuò，xiè xiè!
Photos: 163.com
