If Something Goes Wrong

Illness, lost things, and getting help without the language

3 min read

Emergency numbers

Police is 110. Ambulance is 120. Fire is 119. These work from any phone, including one with no SIM. Operators may not speak English, so keep the request short and give a location above all else.

For anything less urgent, hotel reception is the most effective help you have. Staff will phone on your behalf and translate, and are used to doing it.

Phrases for this

I need help 我需要帮助 wǒ xūyào bāngzhù

Please call an ambulance 请叫救护车 qǐng jiào jiùhùchē Ambulance is 120.

I need to go to a hospital 我需要去医院 wǒ xūyào qù yīyuàn

Please call the police 请报警 qǐng bào jǐng Police is 110.

Pharmacies and hospitals

Pharmacies are everywhere and staff can deal with routine complaints, though almost entirely in Chinese. Showing a written phrase is more reliable than describing symptoms aloud.

Large cities have international clinics with English-speaking doctors, which are more expensive but far less bewildering. Take your passport — hospitals ask for it on admission.

Phrases for this

Where is the nearest pharmacy? 最近的药店在哪里？ zuì jìn de yàodiàn zài nǎlǐ?

I am in pain here 我这里疼 wǒ zhèlǐ téng Point as you show it.

I am having an allergic reaction 我过敏了 wǒ guòmǐn le

Lost phone, lost everything

Losing your phone in a cashless country is a genuine problem, because your money, your tickets and your maps all live on it. Write your hotel's name and address on paper and keep it in a different pocket — the oldest advice in travel, and it still works.

Your embassy handles a lost passport. The number is worth saving offline before you go, alongside your hotel's address in Chinese.

Save your hotel address in the Address Card, then screenshot it. A screenshot survives a dead app.