Chinese Language > Taking the Road Less Traveled: Asking for (and Giving) Directions
Taking the Road Less Traveled: Asking for (and Giving) Directions
Everyone (yes, even you) has to ask for f.ngxiang (fahng shyahng; directions) at some time or another. Even if you just need to find the cesuo (tsuh swaw; bathroom) — when you’ve got to go, you’d better know.
You may find yourself baffled by the boulevards in Beihai or dumbfounded by directions in Dalian. This chapter helps you figure out exactly how to ask for directions before you ever milu (mee loo; get lost). Whether you lose your bearings in Beijing or wander off the path in Luoyang, this chapter gives you helpful tips that make it easier to find your way back home. Or at least back to your hotel.
You definitely need to know how to ask where certain places are in mainland China, where most people don’t speak English. You have a greater likelihood of hailing an English-speaking cabbie in Taipei or Kowloon to take you where you need to go but not in one of the cities or towns in mainland China.
