mǎipiào: 买票 - To Buy a Ticket

• Keywords: buy ticket in Chinese, how to say buy ticket Chinese, mǎi piào, 买票, train ticket China, movie ticket Chinese, book a ticket Chinese, piao Chinese, mai piao, Chinese for ticket, 12306, Ctrip
• Summary: Learn how to say “buy a ticket” in Chinese with the essential term 买票 (mǎipiào). This guide covers everything a beginner needs, from buying train and movie tickets in modern China to understanding the cultural significance of ticket-buying during holidays. Discover practical example sentences, common mistakes, and related vocabulary to help you travel and navigate daily life in China with confidence.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): mǎi piào
• Part of Speech: Verb-Object Phrase (functions as a verb)
• HSK Level: HSK 2
• Concise Definition: To purchase or buy a ticket.
• In a Nutshell: 买票 (mǎipiào) is the fundamental, all-purpose phrase for buying any kind of ticket. It's a direct and logical combination of “to buy” (买) and “ticket” (票). Whether you're at a train station, a movie theater, or using a travel app on your phone, this is the core phrase you will use. It's one of the most practical and high-frequency terms you'll learn for everyday life in China.

• 买 (mǎi): This character means “to buy.” It's composed of 网 (wǎng), originally representing a net, and 贝 (bèi), which means “shell.” Since shells were used as an ancient form of currency, you can picture the character as “using shells (money) to acquire something.”
• 票 (piào): This character means “ticket,” “voucher,” or “ballot.” Its original form was related to a slip of paper or a banner fluttering in the wind, which evolved to mean any kind of paper certificate or ticket.

Together, 买 (buy) + 票 (ticket) literally means “to buy a ticket,” making it very easy to remember and understand.

While “buying a ticket” seems like a simple transaction, in China, it's tied to significant cultural experiences, particularly related to travel. The most dramatic example is the annual 春运 (Chūn Yùn), the Spring Festival travel rush. This is the largest annual human migration on Earth, where hundreds of millions of people travel home for the Lunar New Year. For decades, the process of buying a train ticket (买火车票) for Chunyun was a national ordeal. It involved waiting in colossal lines for hours or even days, often in the cold, with no guarantee of success. This shared struggle became a defining experience for generations, a symbol of the immense scale of Chinese society and the deep cultural importance of family reunion. In the West, booking holiday travel can be stressful, but there isn't a single, collective event that captures the national consciousness like Chunyun ticket-buying once did. It was a test of patience, resourcefulness, and sometimes, connections. Today, this experience has been transformed by technology. Apps like the official 12306 for trains, Ctrip (携程 xiéchéng), and Meituan (美团 měituán) have moved the process online. The battle has shifted from physical queues to a high-speed digital scramble the second tickets are released. This change reflects China's rapid modernization, yet the underlying challenge of massive demand during peak times remains a core part of the modern Chinese experience.

买票 is a neutral term used in all contexts, from informal chats to formal announcements.

This is now the most common method. You'll use 买票 when talking about using apps or websites.

• “I'll buy the tickets on my phone.” → 我用手机买票。(Wǒ yòng shǒujī mǎipiào.)

You still use 买票 when buying tickets at a physical location.

• At a Train Station: You'll go to the 售票处 (shòupiàochù), or ticket office, to 买票.
• At a Movie Theater: You can say to the staff: 我想买票 (Wǒ xiǎng mǎipiào - I'd like to buy a ticket).
• At a Scenic Spot/Park: You'll look for the sign that says 售票处 (shòupiàochù) or 门票 (ménpiào) to buy an entrance ticket.

• Example 1:
• 我想买票。
• Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎng mǎipiào.
• English: I want to buy a ticket.
• Analysis: A simple, direct, and universally useful sentence for any ticket-buying situation.
• Example 2:
• 你好，我想买一张去上海的火车票。
• Pinyin: Nǐhǎo, wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī zhāng qù Shànghǎi de huǒchēpiào.
• English: Hello, I'd like to buy one train ticket to Shanghai.
• Analysis: This shows the structure for specifying the type and destination of the ticket. Note the use of the measure word 张 (zhāng) for ticket.
• Example 3:
• 你买票了吗？电影快开始了。
• Pinyin: Nǐ mǎipiào le ma? Diànyǐng kuài kāishǐ le.
• English: Have you bought the tickets yet? The movie is about to start.
• Analysis: The particle 了 (le) indicates the completion of the action “buy tickets.”
• Example 4:
• 我们在哪儿买票？
• Pinyin: Wǒmen zài nǎr mǎipiào?
• English: Where do we buy tickets?
• Analysis: A fundamental question when you arrive at a venue or station.
• Example 5:
• 现在买票很方便，用手机App就行了。
• Pinyin: Xiànzài mǎipiào hěn fāngbiàn, yòng shǒujī App jiù xíng le.
• English: It's very convenient to buy tickets now, you can just use a phone app.
• Analysis: This sentence reflects the modern reality of buying tickets in China.
• Example 6:
• 我要买两张《你好，李焕英》的票。
• Pinyin: Wǒ yào mǎi liǎng zhāng “Nǐ Hǎo, Lǐ Huànyīng” de piào.
• English: I want to buy two tickets for “Hi, Mom”.
• Analysis: Shows how to specify the number of tickets and the name of a movie. 两 (liǎng) is used for “two” before a measure word.
• Example 7:
• 对不起，今天的票都卖完了，你明天再来买票吧。
• Pinyin: Duìbuqǐ, jīntiān de piào dōu mài wán le, nǐ míngtiān zài lái mǎipiào ba.
• English: Sorry, all of today's tickets are sold out. Please come back tomorrow to buy tickets.
• Analysis: A common response you might hear if you're too late. 卖完 (mài wán) means “sold out.”
• Example 8:
• 买票要用护照吗？
• Pinyin: Mǎipiào yào yòng hùzhào ma?
• English: Do I need to use a passport to buy a ticket?
• Analysis: A crucial question for foreigners, as China has a real-name registration system for train and plane tickets. The answer is yes.
• Example 9:
• 网上买票比在售票处排队快多了。
• Pinyin: Wǎngshàng mǎipiào bǐ zài shòupiàochù páiduì kuài duō le.
• English: Buying tickets online is much faster than queuing at the ticket office.
• Analysis: This sentence uses the 比 (bǐ) comparison structure to contrast two ways of buying tickets.
• Example 10:
• 春运的时候买票太难了，简直像打仗一样！
• Pinyin: Chūnyùn de shíhou mǎipiào tài nán le, jiǎnzhí xiàng dǎzhàng yīyàng!
• English: Buying tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush is so difficult, it's just like going to war!
• Analysis: A culturally rich sentence that captures the feeling of the Chunyun ticket-buying experience.

• “Buy” vs. “Book”: In English, we often distinguish between “buying” a ticket (on the spot) and “booking” or “reserving” one (in advance). In Chinese, while 订票 (dìng piào) specifically means “to book/reserve a ticket,” the term 买票 (mǎipiào) is used far more frequently for both situations. It's perfectly natural to say you are going to 买票 online for a flight two months from now.
  • Tip: When in doubt, use 买票. It's almost always correct.
• Measure Word is Crucial: A common beginner mistake is forgetting the measure word or using the wrong one. The correct measure word for tickets is 张 (zhāng), used for flat, paper-like objects.
  • Correct: 我想买一张票。(Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī zhāng piào.) - I want to buy one ticket.
  • Unnatural: 我想买一个票。(Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yī gè piào.) - `个 (gè)` is a general-purpose measure word, but `张 (zhāng)` is much more specific and natural here.

• 订票 (dìng piào) - To book or reserve a ticket. More specific than `买票`, implying booking in advance.
• 退票 (tuì piào) - To return a ticket for a refund. The opposite action of `买票`.
• 改签 (gǎi qiān) - To change a ticket (e.g., the date, time, or seat).
• 售票处 (shòu piào chù) - Ticket office; the physical place where you `买票`.
• 一张票 (yī zhāng piào) - “One ticket.” A phrase showing the correct measure word 张 (zhāng).
• 门票 (ménpiào) - Entrance ticket (for a park, museum, or tourist attraction).
• 火车票 (huǒchē piào) - Train ticket.
• 飞机票 (fēijī piào) - Airplane ticket (often shortened to 机票 jīpiào).
• 黄牛 (huángniú) - Literally “yellow ox,” this is the slang term for a ticket scalper, a common sight during peak travel seasons.
• 春运 (Chūn Yùn) - The Spring Festival travel rush, the most important cultural context for the challenges of buying tickets in China.