Vegetarian Dishes

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

• “有的，我们有素菜。” — Yes, we have vegetarian dishes.
• “斋 (zhāi) 菜。” — Zhāi dishes — the Buddhist-style vegetarian ones.
• “我们用鸡精调味，可能不适合您。” — We season with chicken bouillon, which may not work for you.
• “这个里面有肉汤。” — There is meat stock in this one.

Pro tips

• 鸡蛋 (jīdàn, egg) counts as non-vegetarian in the Chinese kitchen. Say 不要鸡蛋 (bú yào jīdàn) if you eat eggs but not in a strict vegetarian place.
• 高汤 (gāotāng, stock) is usually meat-based even in a vegetable dish. 菌菇汤 (jūngū tāng, mushroom broth) is the safe version to ask for.
• At a Buddhist temple restaurant, 斋 (zhāi) is the word — it is stricter than 素食 and means no onion, garlic or chives at all (the “five pungent vegetables”).

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/.