The Essential Language Guide to Getting Behind the Wheel the China

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Yang Tingting (杨婷婷)

Learn the lingo of Chinese driving schools

In October 2021, when traffic police pulled over a driver on the highway in Hebei province, the man had a novel excuse for not carrying a license or ID card: He claimed he was an alien from outer space.

Sadly for the driver, the officers only reminded him that everyone needs a license to drive in China, no matter what planet they come from, so they fined him 1,000 yuan and detained him for several days.

Luckily, almost everyone else on the road in China does have the proper documentation and training to get behind the wheel. According to the Ministry of Public Security of the PRC, China granted over 20 million driver’s licenses over the past nine months alone, with the total number of licensed drivers nationwide reaching over 461 million by the third quarter of 2022.

Driving schools, then, have no shortage of business as they work to churn out licensed drivers. Like in many countries, learning to drive is a rite of passage to adulthood for many youngsters in China, though passing the exams is not always simple. Trainees need to learn the traffic rules, various driving maneuvers, and safety procedures, while instructors (驾校教练 jiàxiào jiàoliàn) have to be innovative, patient, and tolerant to improve their students’ skills.

Anxious Start

The first step of obtaining a Chinese license is an exam of 100 multiple-choice questions, mostly on traffic rules. You are required to answer 90 percent of them correctly to pass. Then it’s time to get driving, with an instructor sat beside the trainee as they practice parallel parking, hill starts, and emergency stops. Instructors require patience and clear lesson-planning to help their charges learn:

Pay attention, I’ll take you through the whole process, then you’ll do it yourself.

Rènzhēn kàn, wǒ jiù yǎnshì yí biàn, děng huìr nǐ lái kāi.

认真看，我就演示一遍，等会儿你来开。

Wear your seat belt, adjust your seat and rearview mirror, hit the brake pedal, press the clutch, put it in gear, lower the handbrake, release the clutch slowly, and then loosen the brakes.

Shàngchē xiān jìhǎo ānquándài, tiáozhěng zuòyǐ hé hòushìjìng, lā shǒushā, cǎi shāchē, líhé fàng dàodǐ, guà yī dǎng, sōng shǒushā, sōng líhé dào bàn liándòng zhuàngtài, sōng shāchē.

上车先系好安全带，调整座椅和后视镜，拉手刹，踩刹车，离合放到底，挂一档，松手刹，松离合到半联动状态，松刹车。

For rookies, this can be overwhelming. Along with the mechanical processes of driving, learners also need to become adept at identifying road signs and obstacles, switching on their turn signals, and controlling their speed. Sometimes it leaves them floundering:

If I pull the handbrake handle first, how about the clutch? When should I turn the steering wheel to full lock?

Shànglái jiù lā shǒushā, líhé ne? Nǎge diǎnwèi fāngxiàngpán yào dǎsǐ lái zhe？

上来就拉手刹，离合呢？哪个点位方向盘要打死来着？

Sometimes, even the instructors lose patience with struggling students who seem incapable of understanding basic maneuvers no matter how many times they’re reminded.

Steer the wheel to the right. I said right! Why are you still turning left?

Xiàngyòu dǎ fāngxiàngpán, xiàngyòu, wǒ shuō de shì xiàngyòu, nǐ zěnme hái wǎngzuǒ ne?

向右打方向盘，向右，我说的是向右，你怎么还往左呢？

The engine stalled again. How many times have I told you to lift the clutch gently?

Nǐ zhège chē yòu xīhuǒ le, shuōle duōshǎo cì qīng tái líhé.

你这个车又熄火了，说了多少次轻抬离合。

Gifted rookies

Some lucky newbies, however, take to driving with ease. These talented individuals are known as 天赋型选手(tiānfù xíng xuǎnshǒu, naturally gifted competitors). Of course, they are also a source of annoyance to other new drivers still struggling to find the biting point of the clutch during their 10th lesson. But if you ever try to ask them for advice, such as:

Why does the car always end up crooked when I reverse?

Dǎokù wǒ wèi shénme měicì dōuhuì piān yì diǎn a？

倒库我为什么每次都会偏一点啊？

How do you drive through that “S” curve? I cross the line every time.

S wān nǐ shì zěnme zǒu de a？Wǒ měicì dōuhuì yāxiàn.

S 弯你是怎么走的啊？我每次都会压线。

How do you avoid stalling on a slope?

Nǐ shì zěnme zuòdào pōdào bù xīhuǒ de？

你是怎么做到坡道不熄火的？

…you’ll find these “natural drivers” rarely have an answer:

It’s just instinct.

Jiù píng gǎnjué jiù xíng le a.

就凭感觉就行了啊。

“Humorous” Instructors

Learners end up spending a lot of time with their instructors, so finding one with an easygoing personality is essential for a smooth learning experience. Leaving empty parking lots and hitting the roads for the first time, or entering a highway and accelerating up to 80 kilometers per hour and beyond, can be frightening for beginners, though some instructors (having seen it all before countless times) may have little time for such anxiety.

Student: Coach, I can’t, this is too fast!

Bù xíng bù xíng, jiàoliàn zhè chē tài kuài le！

不行不行，教练这车太快了！

Instructor: You’re still going slower than that e-bike!

Nǐ xiànzài hái méi rénjiā diàndòngchē pǎo de kuài！

你现在还没人家电动车跑得快！

But when you finally find the courage to floor the gas pedal and accelerate, you ought to stay alert. Even on the empty training roads, accidents can happen. Remember to check your side mirrors and slow down before turning. With bumping into fences, scraping walls, and even rear-ending other cars common in the school practice yard, you’ll soon find yourself thinking:

I finally know why the driving school looks so run-down.

Zhōngyú zhīdào jiàxiào wèi shénme zhème pò le.

终于知道驾校为什么这么破了。

Under the pressure of all the new information, beginners inevitably make basic errors; mixing up their left and right or accidentally running red lights, for example. Some instructors are not so sympathetic to such mistakes:

You don’t stop at red lights, and you don’t move once they’re green. Is it because you don’t like either color?

Hóngdēng nǐ bù tíng, lǜdēng nǐ bù zǒu, zěnme le? Shì méiyǒu nǐ xǐhun de yánsè ma？

红灯你不停，绿灯你不走，怎么了？是没有你喜欢的颜色吗？

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