Buying a SIM Card in China: Don’t Try Until You Read This!

Quiz:

When you want to ask about the plans and packages offered by the mobile phone company, you can request to see all of the various:

A. 套餐 (tàocān)
B. 护照 (hùzhào)
C. 中国移动 (zhōngguó yídòng)
See Answer

If you are not sure about the answer, please read the following text first and then try again.

Arriving in Beijing a year ago to begin my Mandarin Chinese course was a pretty intimidating experience. Unlike a week long vacation, this move to China seemed to feel permanent. I was settling in China to master Chinese and perhaps begin a long and exciting career in this mysterious country. Such things as a hotel reservation and transportation were surprisingly simple and convenient. However, while on my way from the airport to the hotel I realized I had no mobile Internet to check maps and no phone number from which to call from. I felt stranded, but I didn’t know how to get a SIM card for my phone. It turns out that many of my fellow classmates had the same dilemma upon arriving in China.

As it turns out, getting a SIM card with Internet data and calling minutes is more simple that it seems at first. I will share with you some essential Chinese to know before you go out to purchase one of your own.

First, you need to choose a mobile phone service companies. It’s fairly simple, as there are essentially three:

中国移动 (zhōngguó yídòng) China Mobile.
中国联通 (zhōngguó liántōng) China Unicom.
中国电信 (zhōngguó diànxìn) China Telecom.

China Mobile is the most convenient of the three (and also the largest telecommunications company in the world!). I decided to put my bags down and head to the nearest China Mobile shop near my hotel.

At the recommendation of the hotel reception, I was sure to bring my “护照 (hùzhào) passport”, as this is required by law. You can certainly expect to hear: … Read more

Got questions? Take a FREE 1-to-1 live online lesson with our professional teachers from China.

>>More Newsletters

Learn Chinese “Pretending Garlic” with Funny Story

“Don’t play dumb!” This English phrase has a Chinese equivalent that, although its meaning is the same, has a very different literal translation with unique origins. The Chinese “装蒜 (zhuāngsuàn)” literally means “to pretend garlic” which may sound kind of funny in English. It is used to mean “feign ignorance” and “make a pretense.” Read the examples below to better understand how it is used in Chinese.

Examples:
Bié zhuāngsuàn le, nǐ zhīdào wǒ zài shuō shénme.
别装蒜了，你知道我在说什么。
Don’t play dumb, you know what I’m saying.

Nǐ hái zhuāngsuàn, nǐ yǐwéi wǒ shǎ a?
你还装蒜，你以为我傻啊？
You’re still feigning ignorance, do you think I’m stupid?

Nǐ bié zhuāngsuàn le, wǒ shénme dōu zhīdào le.
你别装蒜了，我什么都知道了。
Don’t you act coy, I know everything.

By now you may be wondering why “pretending garlic” means the same thing as playing dumb. Read this interesting story set in the Qing Dynasty about deceiving an emperor to find out!

Related Post:
Chinese Mini-Test: 大蒜 (intermediate)

Quiz:

Mǎ kè: Wǒ zhēnde bú rènshi nàgè nǚháier.
马克：我真的不认识那个女孩儿。
Mark: I really don’t recognize that girl.

Lǐ lì: Nǐ bié zhuāngsuàn.
李丽:你别装蒜。

What does Lily mean?

A.She thinks that Mark knows the girl.
B.She doesn’t think that Mark knows the girl.
C.She doesn’t care whether Mark knows the girl or not.
See Answer

Get FREE e-books and a FREE live 1-to-1 lesson. Complete the form below:

Your name:

E-mail:

Country:

Tel:

If you can not submit the free trial request in the email, please click here.

Send us your suggestions!

What do you think of this issue of newsletter? What would you like to learn more about? Suggest a topic! We'd love to hear from you! Also, if you have any questions about the learning materials, please feel free to drop us a line at newsletter@echineselearning.com.