Chinese Verbs for Using Transportation
First, verbs. They are perhaps the most important part
of Chinese learning for beginners.
Let’s explore the key Chinese verbs and verb
phrases associated with using transportation.
坐 (zuò)
The verb 坐 (zuò) is essential for talking about
transportation in Chinese.
To say “take” or “go by” a mode of transportation, for the
most part, the pattern is 坐 (zuò) + transportation. 坐
(zuò) means to sit or take transportation.
Let’s look at some examples.
坐班车
zuò bānchē
take the shuttle/by shuttle
坐地铁
zuò dìtiě
take the subway/by subway
坐轮船
zuò lúnchuán
take the ship/by ship
If you want to talk about going somewhere on foot, then
the verb 走 (zǒu) is used instead.
走路
zǒu lù
walk/on foot
乘 (chéng)
Similarly to the verb 坐 (zuò), the verb 乘 (chéng) can be
used to say “take” or “go by” as well.
Examples:
乘班车
chéng bānchē
take the shuttle/by shuttle
乘地铁
chéng dìtiě
take the subway/by subway
乘轮船
chéng lúnchuán
take the ship/by ship
Both words mean the same in general (when talking about
transportation), but 乘 (chéng) is more formal than 坐
(zuò).
Hence the word 乘客 (chéngkè) – “passenger”. (There is no
坐客 zuòkè!)
打 (dǎ)
打 (dǎ) is one of the most versatile verbs in Mandarin
Chinese and can be used for talking about transportation
as well. Specifically, you can use 打的 (dǎ dī) or 打车
(dǎ chē) to mean “take a taxi”.
的 (dī) – watch out for the pronunciation – is the
short form of 的士 (dīshì), which is one of the ways of
saying “taxi” in Mandarin, coming from Cantonese. 打出租
车 (dǎ chūzūchē) is also fine for “take a taxi” but is less
commonly said.
开 (kāi)
The word 开 (kāi) can have different meanings, but when it
comes to transportation, it means to drive, steer or fly.
Examples:
开出租车
kāi chūzūchē
drive a taxi
开拖拉机
kāi tuōlājī
drive a tractor
开快艇
kāi kuàitǐng
steer a speedboat
开直升飞机
kāi zhíshēng fēijī
fly a helicopter
骑 (qí)
The Chinese verb 骑 (qí) translates to “ride” and refers to
sitting on and propelling a bicycle or similar vehicle.
Examples:
骑自行车
qí zìxíngchē
ride a bike
骑共享单车
qí gòngxiǎng dānchē
ride a shared bike
骑电瓶车
qí diànpíngchē
ride a electric scooter
骑摩托车
qí mótuōchē
ride a motorcycle
And of course, 骑 (qí) can be used for the action of riding
an animal such as a horse – 骑马 (qí mǎ).
上 (shàng)/下 (xià)
These two verbs have many different meanings, and they
can be used when referring to almost every means of
transportation. While 上 (shàng) means “get on, get in, get
aboard,” 下 (xià) means the opposite: “get off, get out of,
disembark.”
Examples:
上车
shàng chē
get in the car
上地铁
shàng dìtiě
get on the subway
上飞机
shàng fēijī
get on the plane
下公交
xià gōngjiāo
get off the bus
下船
xià chuán
get off the ship
Simple Conversations Regarding Transportation in
Chinese
Now is the time to use the Chinese transportation
vocabulary and expressions in context. Practice the
following sentences and you will be able to get the
information you need whenever you need it. Plus,
you’ll develop your knowledge of Chinese grammar and
gain confidence in speaking Chinese in real
conversations.
你平时怎么去上班？
Nǐ píngshí zěnme qù shàngbān?
How do you go to work usually?
我每天开车上班。
Wǒ měitiān kāi chē shàngbān.
I drive to work every day.
你喜欢坐飞机吗？
Nǐ xǐhuan zuò fēijī ma?
Do you like flying in planes?
不喜欢，我怕死。
Bù xǐhuan, wǒ pà sǐ.
No, I am scared of death.
你们的城市有地铁吗？
Nǐmen de chéngshì yǒu dìtiě ma?
Is there a subway in your city?
没有，但是我们有轻轨。
Méiyǒu, dànshì wǒmen yǒu qīngguǐ.
No, we got light rail though.
你打算怎么去火车站？
Nǐ dǎsuàn zěnme qù huǒchēzhàn?
How do you plan to go to the railway station?
坐公交/坐地铁/打的。
Zuò gōngjiāo/Zuò dìtiě/Dǎ dī.
By bus/subway/taxi.
你到了吗？
Nǐ dào le ma?
Have you arrived?
马上，还有两站地铁。
Mǎshàng, háiyǒu liǎng zhàn dìtiě.
In a moment. Two more stops on the subway.
这辆车到机场吗？
Zhè liàng chē dào jīchǎng ma?
Does this bus go to the airport?
不到，你要去那个车站坐机场巴士。
Bú dào, nǐ yào qù nàge chēzhàn zuò
jīchǎng bāshì.
No. You need to take the airport shuttle at the
stop over there.
下一班去上海的火车几点出发？
Xià yì bān qù Shànghǎi de huǒchē jǐ diǎn chūfā?
When does the next train to Shanghai depart?
今晚九点半。
Jīnwǎn jiǔ diǎn bàn.
9:30 tonight.
请问在哪里买车票？
Qǐngwèn zài nǎlǐ mǎi chēpiào?
Excuse me, where do I buy the ticket?
上楼左转售票口。
Shàng lóu zuǒ zhuǎn shòupiàokǒu.
Go upstairs, turn left, at the ticket window.
我买两张去南京的长途汽车票。
Wǒ mǎi liǎng zhāng qù Nánjīng de chángtú
qìchē piào.
I need two bus tickets to Nanjing.
单程是吗？一百二十元一张。
Dānchéng shì ma? Yì bǎi èr shí yuán yì zhāng.
One way, right? That’ll be one hundred twenty
Yuan each.
我要去市政大厅，应该在哪站下车？
Wǒ yào qù shìzhèng dàtīng, yīnggāi zài nǎ zhàn
xià chē?
I am going to the city hall. Which stop should I
get off?
到了我会告诉你。
Dào le wǒ huì gàosù nǐ.
I’ll let you know when we are there.
