Nightlife & bars in Chinese 夜生活
yèshēnghuó
Bar in Chinese is 酒吧 (jiǔ bā).
Also searched for as: bar in Chinese, going out in Chinese, clubbing, nightclub, night out, karaoke.
After dark: bars, clubs and late-night snacks. 15 essential nightlife & bars 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.
Nightlife in Chinese is 夜生活 (yè shēng huó), and in big cities it ranges from thumping clubs to quiet craft-beer spots. A club is a 夜店 (yè diàn), while a 清吧 (qīng bā) is a relaxed bar with no DJ, where you can actually hear each other talk. Many nights end with 夜宵 (yè xiāo), late-night food, very often grilled skewers and cold beer at a street-side table.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 夜生活 | yè shēng huó | nightlife |
| 酒吧 | jiǔ bā | bar |
| 酒吧街 | jiǔ bā jiē | bar street |
| 夜店 | yè diàn | nightclub |
| 蹦迪 | bèng dí | to go clubbing; dance at a club |
| 清吧 | qīng bā | quiet bar (no loud music) |
| 精酿 | jīng niàng | craft beer |
| 鸡尾酒 | jī wěi jiǔ | cocktail |
| KTV | K T V | karaoke |
| 卡座 | kǎ zuò | booth (in a bar or club) |
| 最低消费 | zuì dī xiāo fèi | minimum spend |
| 喝一杯 | hē yī bēi | to have a drink |
| 夜宵 | yè xiāo | late-night snack |
| 撸串 | lū chuàn | to eat grilled skewers |
| 通宵 | tōng xiāo | all night |
Usage tips
- If you want conversation, suggest a 清吧 (qīng bā) rather than a 酒吧 (jiǔ bā), since some places that call themselves 酒吧 are loud and almost club-like.
- In clubs, a 卡座 (kǎ zuò), booth, usually comes with a 最低消费 (zuì dī xiāo fèi), minimum spend, so ask 卡座最低消费多少 (kǎ zuò zuì dī xiāo fèi duō shao) before you sit down.
- 撸串 (lū chuàn) is casual slang for eating skewers, from the action of pulling the meat off the stick, and 撸串喝啤酒 (lū chuàn hē pí jiǔ) is a classic summer night out with friends.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up 夜店 (yè diàn), nightclub, with 夜市 (yè shì), night market; inviting someone to a 夜店 when you mean street food sends a very different message.
- Saying 喝一个酒 for 'have a drink': drinks take the measure word 杯 (bēi) or 瓶 (píng), so say 喝一杯 (hē yī bēi) or 来一瓶啤酒 (lái yī píng pí jiǔ).
- Using 通宵 (tōng xiāo) for any late night: it means right through until morning, so for 'we stayed out late' say 我们玩到很晚 (wǒ men wán dào hěn wǎn).
Mini dialogue
- A下班后一起喝一杯吧？Xià bān hòu yī qǐ hē yī bēi ba?Fancy a drink after work?
- B好啊，去酒吧街吗？Hǎo a, qù jiǔ bā jiē ma?Sure, shall we go to the bar street?
- A那边太吵了，我们找个清吧聊聊天吧。Nà biān tài chǎo le, wǒ men zhǎo ge qīng bā liáo liao tiān ba.It's too loud there. Let's find a quiet bar and have a chat.
- B行，我知道一家，精酿很不错。Xíng, wǒ zhī dào yī jiā, jīng niàng hěn bù cuò.OK, I know one with really good craft beer.
- A喝完再去吃夜宵！Hē wán zài qù chī yè xiāo!And then we'll get a late-night snack!
Example sentences
- 这个城市的夜生活很丰富。This city has great nightlife.
- 我们去酒吧喝点东西吧。Let's go to a bar for a drink.
- 这条酒吧街晚上很热闹。This bar street is really lively at night.
- 周末要不要去夜店？Fancy going to a club at the weekend?
- 我好久没蹦迪了。I haven't been clubbing in ages.
- 我更喜欢清吧，可以聊天。I prefer quiet bars where you can chat.
- 这家店的精酿很好喝。The craft beer here is really good.
- 你想喝什么鸡尾酒？What cocktail would you like?
- 今晚去KTV唱歌吧！Let's go to karaoke tonight!
- 我们订了一个卡座。We've booked a booth.
- 这里的卡座有最低消费。The booths here have a minimum spend.
- 下班后一起喝一杯吧？Fancy a drink after work?
- 饿了，去吃夜宵吧。I'm hungry, let's get a late-night snack.
- 夏天晚上最适合撸串。Summer nights are perfect for skewers.
- 我们昨天玩了个通宵。We stayed out all night yesterday.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Nightlife & bars speaking island has 8 everyday questions about nightlife & bars to prepare your own answers to.