The Bill, Please

How to use this card

1. Save it before you travel. Download the whole pack from /rescue-cards/ and it works offline — no app, no data plan.
2. Show the big Chinese line to whoever you are talking to. They read characters; the English at the bottom is for you.
3. Say it out loud too if they hesitate. A spoken request gets a faster answer than a silent card, and repeating it removes all doubt.
4. Read the English to understand the reply.

What they will likely say

• “好的，马上。” — Sure, one moment.
• “一共一百二。” — One hundred and twenty in total.
• “是扫码还是现金？” — Paying by QR code or cash?
• “要发票吗？” — Do you need a receipt?

Pro tips

• 埋单 (māidān, second tone) is the same word and is common in the south. Both work; 买单 is the safer bet everywhere.
• 结账 (jiézhàng) is used in bigger restaurants and at hotel restaurants. 结 (jié) also means “knot” — do not use it to mean “calculate” with a shopkeeper.
• Paying is now overwhelmingly by QR code. Ask 要微信还是支付宝 (yào Wēixìn háishì Zhīfùbǎo) to be walked through it, and watch for the exchange rate the QR code app applies.

Related guides

• Full guide — background reading for this situation

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This card is one of the TravelHubChina phrase cards — bilingual, offline, and verified against how people actually talk in China rather than textbook grammar. The full set is free at travelhubchina.com/rescue-cards/.