Lesson 12: Travel & Directions — 旅行和问路

Travelling in China is a joy — the high-speed rail network is the largest on earth — but only if you can ask for directions and understand the answer. Chinese directions are built from a small, precise kit: 左 (zuǒ, left), 右 (yòu, right), 前 (qián, front), 后 (hòu, back), 往 (wǎng, towards), 一直走 (yìzhí zǒu, go straight on), 拐 (guǎi, to turn) and the destination marker 到 (dào, to arrive). Distances are given in 米 (mǐ, metres) and 公里 (gōnglǐ, kilometres), and journeys are measured in time as often as in space: 走路十分钟 (zǒulù shí fēnzhōng — ten minutes on foot). This lesson gives you the full travel toolkit: transport words, direction patterns, and the polite armour of 请问 and 麻烦你 (máfan nǐ, sorry to trouble you) that opens every interaction.

Key vocabulary

Grammar patterns: directions and journeys

The distance word is 离 (lí, from): 火车站离这儿远吗？ (Huǒchēzhàn lí zhèr yuǎn ma? — Is the station far from here?) Never use 在 for distance. And 坐 (zuò, to sit) is the verb for travelling by any vehicle: 坐飞机 (fly), 坐火车 (by train), 坐地铁 (by metro) — you "sit" the vehicle whatever it is.

Example sentences

• 请问，火车站怎么走？ (Qǐngwèn, huǒchēzhàn zěnme zǒu? — Excuse me, how do I get to the railway station?)
• 一直走，在第二个路口往右拐。 (Yìzhí zǒu, zài dì-èr ge lùkǒu wǎng yòu guǎi. — Go straight, and turn right at the second crossing.)
• 地铁站离这儿不远，走路五分钟。 (Dìtiězhàn lí zhèr bù yuǎn, zǒulù wǔ fēnzhōng. — The metro station isn't far from here, five minutes on foot.)
• 我们坐出租车去机场吧。 (Wǒmen zuò chūzūchē qù jīchǎng ba. — Let's take a taxi to the airport.)
• 银行在饭馆的对面。 (Yínháng zài fànguǎn de duìmiàn. — The bank is opposite the restaurant.)
• 从这儿到北京，坐飞机两个小时。 (Cóng zhèr dào Běijīng, zuò fēijī liǎng ge xiǎoshí. — From here to Beijing is two hours by plane.)
• 请问，这儿有地铁站吗？ (Qǐngwèn, zhèr yǒu dìtiězhàn ma? — Excuse me, is there a metro station near here?)
• 往前走一百米就到了。 (Wǎng qián zǒu yìbǎi mǐ jiù dào le. — Go forward a hundred metres and you're there.)

Building the characters: movement and place

The movement radical 辶 runs through travel vocabulary — 远、近、这、过、还 all carry it. When a character wears 辶， expect motion or distance inside its meaning.

Tone practice: direction words

Directions must be unmistakable, so say them with deliberate tones: 左 (zuǒ, 3rd), 右 (yòu, 4th), 前 (qián, 2nd), 后 (hòu, 4th), 往 (wǎng, 3rd), 拐 (guǎi, 3rd). Traps:

Dialogue: asking the way to the station

• A:请问，火车站怎么走？ (Qǐngwèn, huǒchēzhàn zěnme zǒu? — Excuse me, how do I get to the railway station?)
• B:往前一直走，在第二个路口往左拐。 (Wǎng qián yìzhí zǒu, zài dì-èr ge lùkǒu wǎng zuǒ guǎi. — Go straight ahead, and turn left at the second crossing.)
• A:远吗？走路要多长时间？ (Yuǎn ma? Zǒulù yào duō cháng shíjiān? — Is it far? How long on foot?)
• B:不远，走路十分钟就到。也可以坐公共汽车。 (Bù yuǎn, zǒulù shí fēnzhōng jiù dào. Yě kěyǐ zuò gōnggòng qìchē. — Not far — ten minutes' walk. You can also take the bus.)
• A:太谢谢你了！ (Tài xièxie nǐ le! — Thank you so much!)
• B:不客气！ (Bú kèqi! — You're welcome!)

Questions: 1) Where does A turn, and which way? 2) How long is the walk? 3) What alternative does B offer?

Answer key: 1) Left （往左拐） at the second crossing （第二个路口）. 2) Ten minutes （十分钟）. 3) The bus （公共汽车）.

Pronunciation notes for this lesson

拐 (guǎi) and 怪 (guài, strange) are separated only by tone — "guǎi" dips, "guài" falls. 机场 (jīchǎng) is 1st + 3rd tone; the 3rd here is the low, half-third tone of natural speech. Northern speakers add 儿化 to direction words: 前边儿 (qiánbianr), 这儿 (zhèr). If you learned 这里 (zhèlǐ) instead, keep it — it is standard too, just less Beijing in flavour. Most important of all: repeat the directions back as you receive them (一直走，左拐，对吗？— Duì ma?), because a nod in the wrong place strands you a kilometre away.

Common mistakes

• Wrong: ~~火车站在哪儿远？~~ Right: 火车站离这儿远吗？ — distance is asked with 离， not with a place question.
• Wrong: ~~我骑车坐去学校。~~ mixed verbs. Right: 我坐车去学校 or 我骑车去学校 — choose 坐 or the specific verb 骑 (qí, to ride).
• Wrong: ~~往左走拐~~. Right: 往左拐 — 拐 already contains the turning; add 走 first only in sequence: 先往前走，再往左拐.
• Wrong: reading 公里 as "gōng lǐ" with a space in meaning. Right: 公里 (gōnglǐ) is one word, kilometre — not "public li".

Exam Experience

Reading task. Read the directions message, then answer.

从学校往西走，在第一个路口往北拐，一直走二百米，图书馆在你右边。图书馆离学校很近，走路七分钟。从图书馆坐地铁去火车站，二十分钟就到。 (Cóng xuéxiào wǎng xī zǒu, zài dì-yí ge lùkǒu wǎng běi guǎi, yìzhí zǒu èrbǎi mǐ, túshūguǎn zài nǐ yòubian. Túshūguǎn lí xuéxiào hěn jìn, zǒulù qī fēnzhōng. Cóng túshūguǎn zuò dìtiě qù huǒchēzhàn, èrshí fēnzhōng jiù dào. — From the school walk west, turn north at the first crossing, go straight for two hundred metres, and the library is on your right. The library is very close to the school, seven minutes on foot. From the library, take the metro to the railway station; you'll arrive in twenty minutes.)

1) Which way do you turn at the first crossing? 2) On which side is the library? 3) How long does the metro take to the station?

Key: 1) North （往北拐）. 2) On the right （右边）. 3) Twenty minutes （二十分钟）.

Multiple choice.

1) "Turn left at the crossing" is… A. 在路口往右拐 B. 在路口往左拐 C. 在路口一直走 D. 在路口下车. Answer: B. 左 is left; 右 (A) is right; 一直走 (C) is straight on. 2) 地铁站离这儿很远 means… A. The metro station is opposite B. The station is far from here C. Go straight to the station D. The station is on the left. Answer: B. 离 + place + 远 is the distance pattern. 3) The best way to ask "How do I get to the airport?" is… A. 机场在哪儿远？ B. 请问，机场怎么走？ C. 机场坐什么？ D. 你走机场吗？ Answer: B. …怎么走？ is the standard route question, softened by 请问.

Guided writing. Write directions (5–6 sentences) from the school gate to a nearby place a visitor wants to find — a bookshop, a park or the metro station. Model answer:

从学校出来，往前一直走。在第一个路口往右拐，走三百米，书店在你左边。书店离学校不远，走路十分钟就到。你也可以坐公共汽车，两站就到。 (Cóng xuéxiào chūlai, wǎng qián yìzhí zǒu. Zài dì-yí ge lùkǒu wǎng yòu guǎi, zǒu sānbǎi mǐ, shūdiàn zài nǐ zuǒbian. Shūdiàn lí xuéxiào bù yuǎn, zǒulù shí fēnzhōng jiù dào. Nǐ yě kěyǐ zuò gōnggòng qìchē, liǎng zhàn jiù dào. — Come out of the school and go straight ahead. Turn right at the first crossing, walk three hundred metres, and the bookshop is on your left. The bookshop isn't far from the school — ten minutes on foot. You can also take the bus; it's two stops.)

Marking notes: one mark for 从…出来/从…走 as a natural start; one mark for a turn instruction with 路口 and 往 + direction; one mark for a distance in 米 or a time in 分钟； one mark for 离 used correctly; one mark for 就到/就到了 closing the journey. Directions must be followable in sequence — scrambled steps lose the coherence mark even if each sentence is correct.

Going deeper: on the rails — trains, tickets and platforms

China moves by rail, so complete your travel kit with the station vocabulary: 高铁 (gāotiě, high-speed rail — literally "high iron"), 火车票 (huǒchēpiào, train ticket), 买票 (mǎi piào, to buy a ticket), 站台 (zhàntài, platform), 小时 (xiǎoshí, hour) and 分钟 (fēnzhōng, minute). Buying a ticket is a set dialogue:

• A:你好，我买一张去上海的票。 (Nǐ hǎo, wǒ mǎi yì zhāng qù Shànghǎi de piào. — Hello, I'd like one ticket to Shanghai.)
• B:高铁还是普通火车？ (Gāotiě háishi pǔtōng huǒchē? — High-speed or ordinary train?)
• A:高铁。几点走？ (Gāotiě. Jǐ diǎn zǒu? — High-speed. What time does it leave?)
• B:下午两点。两个半小时到上海。 (Xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn. Liǎng ge bàn xiǎoshí dào Shànghǎi. — Two in the afternoon. Two and a half hours to Shanghai.)
• A:多少钱？ (Duōshao qián? — How much?)
• B:一百五十三块。 (Yìbǎi wǔshísān kuài. — 153 yuan.)

Tickets measure with 张 (zhāng — the flat-things measure word from Lesson 8), and durations split into 小时 for hours: 两个半小时 (two and a half hours) places 半 after the measure word, a detail every timetable will test.