Speaking • Practical Situations
Shopping and Bargaining in Mandarin Chinese
Whether you're browsing a market stall or haggling at Silk Street, this page gives you the full toolkit — asking about products, negotiating prices, and completing a purchase confidently in Mandarin.
Asking About Products
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
这个多少钱？ | zhège duōshǎo qián? | How much is this? |
有没有…？ | yǒuméiyǒu…? | Do you have…? (e.g. 有没有大号的 — do you have a large size?) |
这个是什么材料做的？ | zhège shì shénme cáiliào zuò de? | What material is this made of? |
有其他颜色吗？ | yǒu qítā yánsè ma? | Do you have other colours? |
可以试一下吗？ | kěyǐ shì yīxià ma? | Can I try it on / try it out? |
这个是正品吗？ | zhège shì zhèngpǐn ma? | Is this authentic / the real thing? |
有小一点的吗？ | yǒu xiǎo yīdiǎn de ma? | Do you have a smaller one? |
这个质量怎么样？ | zhège zhìliàng zěnmeyàng? | How is the quality of this? |
Asking the Price
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
多少钱一个？ | duōshǎo qián yīgè? | How much for one? |
这个打折吗？ | zhège dǎzhé ma? | Is this discounted? |
最低多少钱？ | zuìdī duōshǎo qián? | What's the lowest price? |
标价是多少？ | biāojià shì duōshǎo? | What's the listed / marked price? |
买两个有优惠吗？ | mǎi liǎng ge yǒu yōuhuì ma? | Is there a discount if I buy two? |
贵了点 | guì le diǎn | A bit expensive (opener for negotiation) |
比网上贵 | bǐ wǎngshàng guì | More expensive than online |
Bargaining and Negotiating
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
能便宜一点吗？ | néng piányí yīdiǎn ma? | Can you make it a bit cheaper? |
打个折吧 | dǎ gè zhé ba | Give me a discount |
我买两个，便宜点 | wǒ mǎi liǎng gè, piányí diǎn | I'll buy two — make it cheaper |
…块钱行吗？ | … kuài qián xíng ma? | Will … yuan work? (making a counter-offer) |
太贵了，算了 | tài guì le, suàn le | Too expensive, forget it (walking away tactic) |
旁边那家更便宜 | pángbiān nà jiā gèng piányí | The shop next door is cheaper |
好吧，就这个价 | hǎo ba, jiù zhège jià | Okay, this price then (deal agreed) |
最多给你…块 | zuìduō gěi nǐ… kuài | The most I'll give you is… yuan |
Completing the Purchase
| 汉字 Chinese | 拼音 Pīnyīn | English |
|---|---|---|
我买了 | wǒ mǎi le | I'll take it / I'm buying it |
给我包起来 | gěi wǒ bāo qǐlái | Please wrap it up for me |
可以刷卡吗？ | kěyǐ shuā kǎ ma? | Can I pay by card? |
扫码付款 | sǎo mǎ fùkuǎn | Pay by scanning QR code |
找错钱了 | zhǎo cuò qián le | You gave me the wrong change |
可以开发票吗？ | kěyǐ kāi fāpiào ma? | Can I have a receipt / tax invoice? |
不好意思，这个坏了 | bùhǎo yìsi, zhège huài le | Excuse me, this one is broken / defective |
可以退换吗？ | kěyǐ tuì huàn ma? | Can I return or exchange this? |
Usage Notes
Bargaining (讨价还价 tǎo jià huán jià) is normal and expected in wet markets, street stalls, tourist markets, and small shops. In department stores and chain shops, prices are fixed. Reading the context is important — don't try to bargain at a 7-Eleven.
Saying 太贵了，算了 (too expensive, forget it) and starting to walk away is a classic and effective bargaining move. In many markets, the vendor will call you back with a lower price. The key is to be prepared to actually walk away if the price doesn't come down enough.
In China, official tax receipts (发票 fāpiào) are important for business expense claims. Asking 可以开发票吗 is routine in business contexts. Some small vendors will not have them; malls and registered shops always will.