There you have it – your all-purpose guide to phrases that will help you through your first conversations in Mandarin. From finding a bathroom to making a friend, these words and phrases will help you navigate life in Chinese, and not sound like a textbook while you do it.

A collection of useful phrases in Mandarin Chinese in traditional and simplified characters and pinyin, and with mp3 audio recordings.

“Crash Course Chinese: 500+ Survival Phrases to Talk Like a Local” is an essential guide for anyone looking to quickly grasp essential Mandarin phrases. Authored by Celine Li, the book focuses on providing over 500 survival phrases that enable learners to communicate effectively in Mandarin, as if they were locals.

In this quick guide, you'll snag the essential phrases and sentences to make friends, shop till you drop, and chow down like a local. And let's not forget: saying 干杯 (gān bēi, cheers) in Mandarin is bound to make you the most popular person at the dinner table.

In this guide, we’re going to teach you some basic, real Chinese to help you survive in China or other Chinese-speaking countries. We chose 99 of the most essential, basic Chinese words and phrases you’ll hear and use in daily situations and put them to a vocabulary list.