Safety phrase guide

Chinese Emergency Phrases: Help, Police & Ambulance

Learn the shortest useful phrases for getting help, then keep the local number, your address and key medical facts available offline.

Pinyin jǐnjí qíngkuàngFirst location + what happenedBest for travel · clinics · accidents

Quick answer: 救命 is for a life-threatening emergency; 帮帮我 means help me. 请叫救护车 asks for an ambulance, 请报警 asks for police and 我要去医院 means I need to go to the hospital. Emergency numbers differ by region, so verify the local number before travel.

Emergency language has one job: get the right help to the right place quickly. Learn the short phrases below, but treat them as a backup. Before you travel, save the local emergency numbers, a written address and any important medical information in Chinese on an offline card or note.

Find the local emergency number first

Emergency numbers differ by country and region. Do not assume that the number you use at home works elsewhere. The examples below are common public numbers, but you should confirm the current official number for the exact place you are visiting before you travel.

Common emergency numbers (verify locally before travel)
Place	Police	Fire / ambulance
Mainland China	110	119 fire · 120 ambulance
Taiwan	110	119
Hong Kong / Macau	999	999
Singapore	999	995
United States / Canada	911	911

写下来的地址比口头说更可靠。把酒店名称、街道地址或地图定位保存在手机里，同时准备一张离线截图，因为网络、电量或漫游都可能失效。

Core calls for help

These are the shortest useful sentences. Say the phrase, then give your location and what happened.

Asking for emergency help
Chinese	Pinyin	English
救命！	jiùmìng!	Help! (life-threatening)
帮帮我！	bāngbang wǒ!	Help me!
请叫救护车。	qǐng jiào jiùhùchē.	Please call an ambulance.
请报警。	qǐng bàojǐng.	Please call the police.
着火了！	zháohuǒ le!	Fire!
有人受伤了。	yǒu rén shòushāng le.	Someone is injured.

救命 is for a serious, life-threatening situation. For a non-urgent problem, 帮帮我 or 请帮个忙 is more appropriate. Using urgent language for a minor issue can slow down real emergencies for other people.

Explaining what happened

Keep it short and factual: what happened, who is hurt and where you are. Do not try to explain the whole story in Chinese if you are not able to.

这里有人晕倒了。Someone here has fainted.
我朋友受伤了。My friend is injured.
我迷路了。I am lost.
我的包被偷了。My bag was stolen.
我的护照丢了。I lost my passport.
出车祸了。There has been a car accident.

丢 (lost) and 被偷 (stolen) are different. 我的护照丢了 means you lost it; 我的护照被偷了 means it was stolen. Police reports usually need the second one if theft is involved.

Medical information that may be needed

If you have a medical condition, allergy or regular medication, have the key facts written in Chinese before an emergency. A responder may need to know what you take and what you cannot take.

我对青霉素过敏。I am allergic to penicillin.
我对花生过敏。I am allergic to peanuts.
我在吃这个药。I take this medication.
我有哮喘。I have asthma.
我是糖尿病患者。I have diabetes.
我需要医生。I need a doctor.

These sentences describe a condition; they are not a diagnosis and cannot replace professional care. If you cannot speak clearly, show the written card or medication packaging and let responders take over.

Giving your location

Location is often the most important information in a call. Say the address, then add a landmark if you have one: 我在…… (I am at …). If you cannot pronounce the address, show the map pin or send the written address.

我在这里。I am here. — used while pointing at a map
我的地址是……My address is …
我在酒店附近。I am near the hotel.
我在火车站。I am at the train station.
请到这个位置。Please come to this location.

Asking other people for help

Bystanders can help you call, translate or guide responders. These phrases work when you need someone nearby to act on your behalf.

可以借我用一下电话吗？Can I borrow your phone?
请帮我打这个号码。Please call this number for me.
你会说英语吗？Do you speak English?
我需要翻译。I need an interpreter.
请带我去医院。Please take me to the hospital.

If someone offers to help, confirm the destination and who they are calling before you go anywhere with them. In an emergency, staying in a public place and waiting for official help is usually safer than accepting an unclear offer of transport.

What not to rely on

A translation app, a memorised sentence or this page cannot replace local emergency services. Network coverage, battery, dialect and background noise can all break communication at the worst moment.

Do not wait to find the perfect sentence before calling for help.
Do not use 救命 for a minor inconvenience.
Do not assume the local emergency number matches your home country.
Do not rely on a phone that may be out of battery or data.
Do not give medical advice to others; hand the situation to professionals.

This page teaches vocabulary for emergencies. It is not medical, legal or security advice. For any real emergency, contact the official local service immediately.

Related phrase guides

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Who to ask

警察, 医生, 保安, 大使馆: who handles what

Chinese has a specific word for each person you might need, and using the right one saves time. 工作人员 (staff) is the safe generic term; the rest name an actual role, and a bystander will usually point you to the right one.

Who to ask for, and what they handle
Chinese	Pinyin	English	What they handle
警察	jǐngchá	police officer	Crime, theft, a fight, a lost passport report. Call 110.
派出所	pàichūsuǒ	local police station	Where you go in person to 报案 (file a report).
医生	yīshēng	doctor	Medical assessment; the person you ask for at a hospital.
护士	hùshi	nurse	Ward care, injections, dressing changes.
保安	bǎo'ān	security guard	Building, mall, hotel and station entrances; often the fastest help on site.
工作人员	gōngzuò rényuán	staff member	The neutral choice at an airport, station or ticket counter.
大使馆 / 领事馆	dàshǐguǎn / lǐngshìguǎn	embassy / consulate	Lost or stolen passport, arrest, serious accident involving a foreign national.

The useful pattern is 请帮我找…… (qǐng bāng wǒ zhǎo…, "please help me find…") followed by the person: 请帮我找会说英语的人 means "please help me find someone who speaks English", and 我需要联系我的大使馆 means "I need to contact my embassy". For traffic accidents rather than crime, mainland China uses 122 for the traffic police, alongside 110 for police, 119 for fire and 120 for an ambulance.

Theft and loss

小偷, 抢 and 丢了: reporting theft or a lost passport

Chinese separates "it was stolen" from "I lost it", and the difference changes which report you need. 被偷了 means it was taken by a thief; 丢了 means it is missing, whether or not anyone took it.

Theft, loss and reporting
Chinese	Pinyin	English	Use
小偷	xiǎotōu	thief, pickpocket	通常指下手不容易被发现的人，例如在人群里；不指持械抢劫。
我的钱包被偷了。	wǒ de qiánbāo bèi tōu le.	My wallet was stolen.	The standard report sentence with 被.
我的手机丢了。	wǒ de shǒujī diū le.	I have lost my phone.	Use 丢了 for something missing, not necessarily stolen.
抢劫	qiǎngjié	robbery	Force or threat is involved; a much more serious report than 小偷.
我要报警。	wǒ yào bàojǐng.	I want to report this to the police.	The sentence that starts the process, on the phone or in person.
我要报案。	wǒ yào bào'àn.	I want to file a report.	What you say at a 派出所 to get a written record.
我的护照丢了。	wǒ de hùzhào diū le.	I have lost my passport.	Report to the police, then contact your embassy or consulate.
失物招领	shīwù zhāolǐng	lost and found	Check here for items handed in at stations, malls and airports.
监控	jiānkòng	surveillance camera	可以问：这里有监控吗？ (Is there a camera here?)
走失 / 失踪	zǒushī / shīzōng	to go missing	走失 is used for a person who wandered off, such as a child or an elderly relative; 失踪 is the formal term.

Two practical notes. A police report (报案记录) is usually what an insurance company or an embassy asks for, so file it even when the amount is small — the written record, not the recovery, is the point. And for a lost passport the order is police report first, then your embassy or consulate, because the embassy will ask for the report number. Keep the Chinese name of your hotel or address written down before anything happens; giving a location under stress in a second language is far harder than reading it out.

At the hospital

挂号, 急诊, 取药: the order of steps at a Chinese hospital

The vocabulary is only half the problem at a Chinese hospital; the sequence of counters is the other half. Knowing the five steps in advance is what turns a stressful visit into a manageable one.

Hospital and pharmacy vocabulary
Chinese	Pinyin	English	Note
医院	yīyuàn	hospital	The building or institution; also used for a large clinic.
急诊	jízhěn	emergency department	For urgent cases; open at night. 急诊室 is the emergency room.
门诊	ménzhěn	outpatient clinic	Daytime non-urgent visits.
挂号	guàhào	to register	Step one: register and pay before seeing any doctor.
分诊	fēnzhěn	triage	At 急诊, a nurse decides the order of priority.
缴费	jiǎofèi	to pay the fee	Tests and medicine are usually paid for before collection.
取药	qǔyào	to collect medicine	The pharmacy counter, usually 药房, inside the hospital.
药店	yàodiàn	pharmacy, drugstore	Outside a hospital, for ordinary over-the-counter medicine.
保险	bǎoxiǎn	insurance	我有保险 means "I have insurance".
自费	zìfèi	self-paying	Paying without insurance or state cover; a common question at the counter.

The usual order is 挂号 → 医生 → 缴费 → 检查 → 取药: register, see the doctor, pay, have any tests done, then collect the medicine. At 急诊 the first step is 分诊 instead, because a nurse sets the priority. Useful sentences along the way are 我要挂号 (I want to register), 我对青霉素过敏 (I am allergic to penicillin), 我有保险 (I have insurance), and 请问药店在哪里 (where is the pharmacy). 医保 is China's own public medical-insurance scheme and generally does not apply to a short-term visitor, so 自费 or travel insurance is the realistic route.

Questions about this page

How do you call for help in Chinese?

救命 means help in a life-threatening situation. 帮帮我 means help me and is used for less extreme situations. Then give your location and what happened.

What is the emergency number in China?

In Mainland China, 110 is police, 119 is fire and 120 is ambulance. In Taiwan, 110 is police and 119 is fire and ambulance. Confirm the current official number for your exact location before travel.

How do you say “call an ambulance” in Chinese?

请叫救护车 means please call an ambulance. It is pronounced qǐng jiào jiùhùchē.

How do you say “I am lost” in Chinese?

我迷路了 means I am lost. If you need directions, add where you are trying to go, or show the address on your phone.

How do you say “my passport was stolen” in Chinese?

我的护照被偷了 means my passport was stolen. 我的护照丢了 means I lost it. The difference matters for a police report.

How do you explain a medical allergy in an emergency?

Use 我对……过敏, as in 我对青霉素过敏. Keep a written Chinese card with the allergen and show it to responders.

How do you ask to borrow a phone in Chinese?

可以借我用一下电话吗？ asks to borrow a phone. 请帮我打这个号码 asks someone to call a number for you.

How do you give your location in Chinese?

Say 我在 + place or address, as in 我在酒店附近 or 我在火车站. Showing a map pin or written address is faster and more reliable.

How do you say “I need a translator” in Chinese?

我需要翻译 means I need an interpreter. 你会说英语吗？ asks whether someone speaks English.

Should I rely on a translation app in an emergency?

No. Treat the app as a backup only. Battery, network, dialect and noise can fail; contact the official local emergency service and use a written card where possible.

What are the emergency numbers in China?

In mainland China, 110 is the police, 119 is fire, 120 is an ambulance and 122 is the traffic police. Taiwan uses 110 and 119, Hong Kong and Macau use 999, and the United States and Canada use 911.

How do you say "help" in Chinese in an emergency?

救命 (jiùmìng) is the urgent call for help in a life-threatening situation, and 帮帮我 (bāngbang wǒ) is the general "help me". To ask someone to call for help, say 请叫救护车 (call an ambulance) or 请报警 (call the police).

How do you report a stolen wallet or passport in Chinese?

Say 我的钱包被偷了 (my wallet was stolen) or 我的护照丢了 (I have lost my passport), then 我要报案 to file a report at a 派出所. A written police report is what an embassy or insurance company asks for.

What is the difference between 急诊 and 门诊?

急诊 (jízhěn) is the emergency department, open at night for urgent cases, while 门诊 (ménzhěn) is the daytime outpatient clinic. At 急诊 the first step is 分诊 (triage), not 挂号.

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Related everyday phrases

Emergency phrases 紧急情况 sits among these expressions, but the polite or natural choice still depends on the relationship, time of day and whether the setting is spoken or written.

How much 多少钱 Where is the bathroom 洗手间在哪里 Yes and no 是 / 不 / 没 I don’t understand 我不懂 Numbers 0–100 数字 Time and dates 时间 Family members 家人 Shopping and money 购物 Directions and transport 方向 Measure words 量词 Question words 疑问词 Food and restaurants 点菜 Weather 天气 Body and health 身体 Festival phrases 节日 All everyday Chinese phrases Chinese travel phrases Colours in Chinese Classical phrases and everyday expressions

Ask for help or answer that you are okay

Use these follow-up guides when the situation moves from an emergency phrase to asking for assistance or reassuring someone after a concern.

Say “Can you help me?” in Chinese Say “I am fine” in Chinese All everyday Chinese phrases