Christmas time is just around the corner, and many of us have families abroad patiently (and expectantly) waiting for your gifts to arrive by the 25th! We have already written a guide to help you ship any gift all around the world, but sending out your gifts through some of these shipping services is much easier if you can speak a little Chinese.
There are plenty of methods to ensure your gifts can arrive undamaged and on time wherever you need them, and knowing how to say some key phrases to clarify any details is essential. So while you’re busy shopping and preparing to be your family’s personal Santa, here are some words and phrases to know so your next trip to the post office is as smooth as Santa coming down the chimney!
Classification of shipping packages
Regular parcel 普通包裹 Pǔtōng bāoguǒ
Fragile parcel 易碎包裹 Yìsuì bāoguǒ
Insured parcel 保价包裹 Bǎojià bāoguǒ
Hello, I’d like to deliver a regular parcel/fragile parcel/insured parcel to ___.
你好，我想寄一个普通/易碎/保价包裹到 ___。 Nǐhǎo, wǒ xiǎng jì yígè pǔtōng/yìsuì/bǎojià bāoguǒ dào ___.
Can you help me find a carton of the right size for shipping?
你能帮我找一个合适的纸箱来装这个吗？Nǐ néng bāng wǒ zhǎo yígè héshì de zhīxiāng zhuāng zhègè ma?
Three categories of shipping options
Shipping by air 航空包裹 Hángkōng bāoguǒ
Surface Air Lifted 空运水陆路包裹 Kōngyùn shuǐ lù lù bāoguǒ
Surface 水陆路包裹 Shuǐ lù lù bāoguǒ
READ MORE: Int’l Shipping 101: How to get Gifts Under the Tree When You’re Stuck in Beijing
Service to use
EMS 全球邮政特快专递 Quánqiú yóuzhèng tèkuài zhuāndì
FedEx 联邦快递 Liánbāng kuàidì
DHL 中外运敦豪 Zhōngwàiyùn dūnháo
China Post Mail (CPM) 中国邮政 Zhōngguó yóuzhèng
Payment
– I’d like to ship this as a regular parcel by air to __. How much is it per kg?
我想寄一个普通的航运包裹。一公斤多少钱呢？Wǒ xiǎng jì yígè pǔtōng hángyùn bāoguǒ. Yígōng jīn duǒshǎoqián ne?
– It is _ per kg.
一公斤_。Yígōng jīn _.
– Can you help me check how many kg it is please?
你能帮我看一下这个多少公斤吗？ Nǐnéng bāngwǒ kànyíxià zhègè duǒshǎo gōngjīn ma？
– It is _ kg.
这个_ 公斤。Zhègè _gōngjīn.
– How much is it in total?
一共多少钱？Yígòng duōshǎo qián？
– It’s _.
一共_。Yígòng_.
Photo: canva.com
