Bargaining & haggling in Chinese 砍价
kǎn jià
A bit cheaper in Chinese is 便宜点 (pián yi diǎn).
Also searched for as: haggling in Chinese, how to bargain in Chinese, cheaper please in Chinese, negotiate the price, bargain.
Can you go a bit lower? The art of the haggle. 15 essential bargaining & haggling words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for haggling in Chinese is 砍价 (kǎn jià), literally 'chopping the price', and 讲价 (jiǎng jià) means much the same. Bargaining is normal at markets, small shops and tourist stalls in China, though not in supermarkets or chain stores. A few phrases go a long way: start with 便宜点 (pián yi diǎn), 'a bit cheaper?', and if the price won't move, try 我再看看 (wǒ zài kàn kan) and walk away.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 砍价 | kǎn jià | to haggle |
| 讲价 | jiǎng jià | to bargain |
| 便宜点 | pián yi diǎn | a bit cheaper |
| 太贵了 | tài guì le | too expensive |
| 最低价 | zuì dī jià | lowest price |
| 打折 | dǎ zhé | to give a discount |
| 抹零 | mǒ líng | to knock off the odd amount |
| 一口价 | yī kǒu jià | fixed price; final offer |
| 不能再少了 | bù néng zài shǎo le | can't go any lower |
| 还价 | huán jià | to make a counter-offer |
| 算了 | suàn le | forget it |
| 再看看 | zài kàn kan | to look around some more |
| 成交 | chéng jiāo | it's a deal |
| 假货 | jiǎ huò | fake goods |
| 老板 | lǎo bǎn | boss (how you address a shopkeeper) |
Usage tips
- Address the stallholder as 老板 (lǎo bǎn), 'boss', whatever the size of the business; it's friendly and expected, and 老板娘 (lǎo bǎn niáng) is used for a female owner.
- 抹零 (mǒ líng) means rounding a price down by dropping the odd amount, such as paying 100 for 105; asking 能抹零吗 (néng mǒ líng ma) is a gentle request even where real haggling isn't usual.
- 一口价 (yī kǒu jià) signals a firm, final price, and 不能再少了 (bù néng zài shǎo le) means the seller won't go lower; 成交 (chéng jiāo) closes the deal.
Common mistakes
- Reading 打八折 (dǎ bā zhé) as 80 per cent off → it means you pay 80 per cent of the price, so it's 20 per cent off; 打五折 (dǎ wǔ zhé) is half price.
- Saying just 太贵 (tài guì) sounds clipped → the natural exclamation is 太贵了 (tài guì le), since 太 plus an adjective usually takes 了 in exclamations.
Mini dialogue
- A老板，这个包怎么卖？Lǎo bǎn, zhè gè bāo zěn me mài?How much is this bag?
- B一百五。Yī bǎi wǔ.A hundred and fifty.
- A太贵了，便宜点吧！一百行不行？Tài guì le, pián yi diǎn ba! Yī bǎi xíng bù xíng?That's too expensive, go on, a bit cheaper! How about a hundred?
- B一百二，不能再少了。Yī bǎi èr, bù néng zài shǎo le.A hundred and twenty, I can't go any lower.
- A那算了，我再看看。Nà suàn le, wǒ zài kàn kan.Forget it then, I'll look around.
- B好好好，一百一，成交！Hǎo hǎo hǎo, yī bǎi yī, chéng jiāo!All right, all right, a hundred and ten, it's a deal!
Example sentences
- 在市场买东西一般可以砍价。You can usually haggle at markets.
- 这里可以讲价吗？Can you bargain here?
- 老板，便宜点吧！Come on, a bit cheaper!
- 一百块？太贵了！A hundred yuan? That's too expensive!
- 你说个最低价吧。Just tell me your lowest price.
- 现在打折吗？Is it on discount at the moment?
- 一百零五，能抹零吗？A hundred and five, can you call it a hundred?
- 一口价，八十块。Final offer, eighty yuan.
- 这已经是成本价了，不能再少了。That's already cost price, I can't go any lower.
- 他要两百，我还价到一百二。He wanted two hundred, I countered with one-twenty.
- 那算了，我不要了。Forget it then, I don't want it.
- 我再看看别的店。I'll have a look at some other shops.
- 好，八十，成交！OK, eighty, it's a deal!
- 这个包是不是假货？Is this bag a fake?
- 老板，这个怎么卖？How much is this one?
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Bargaining & haggling speaking island has 8 everyday questions about bargaining & haggling to prepare your own answers to.