Excuse Me, Could You Help Me?

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

• “什么事？” — What is it?
• “当然可以。” — Of course.
• “你说。” — Go ahead.
• “不好意思，我帮不了你。” — Sorry, I cannot help you with that.

Pro tips

• Use 不好意思 for opening a request and 对不起 for apologising after a mistake. Swapping them is instantly noticeable and mildly confusing to a Chinese speaker.
• A smile and a slight bow while showing the card does more work than the words. Non-verbal apology is doing a lot of the load here.
• It works on strangers, and it works on staff. Showing it to a cashier or a train conductor is not a failure — it is the fastest way to get an uninterrupted minute of their attention.

Related guides

• Full guide — background reading for this situation

---

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/.