How to say "to pay the bill (in a restaurant etc) (loanword from Cantonese)" in Chinese
埋单
mái dān
food · restaurant · beginner · neutral
When To Use It
"to pay the bill (in a restaurant etc) (loanword from Cantonese)" maps to 埋单 (mái dān), a neutral food phrase for restaurant situations.
Use it with servers, vendors, or food-stall staff when ordering, clarifying ingredients, or managing a meal politely.
Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.
Tone And Delivery
The register is neutral, which makes it flexible: safe in most daily situations without sounding stiff or overly intimate.
Because this is marked beginner, you should aim to recognize it instantly and reuse it with your own names, nouns, locations, or numbers.
A good practice target is the example sentence 埋单 (mái dān). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.
Practice Ideas
This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 鱼丽 (yú lì).
A second nearby phrase to review is 擂茶 (lèi chá), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.
- Read the example “to pay the bill (in a restaurant etc) (loanword from Cantonese)” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
- Pair it with “"fish" battle formation in ancient times: chariots in front, infantry behind” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
- Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
- If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.
Examples
埋单
mái dān
to pay the bill (in a restaurant etc) (loanword from Cantonese)
Related
- "fish" battle formation in ancient times: chariots in front, infantry behind — 鱼丽 (yú lì)
- "leicha", a beverage or gruel made from tea leaves, roasted peanuts and herbs etc ground into a powder, traditionally consumed by Hakka people and in the north of Hunan province — 擂茶 (lèi chá)
- "yellow wine" (mulled rice wine, usually served warm) — 黄酒 (huáng jiǔ)
- a delicacy (food) — 炼珍 (liàn zhēn)
Explore more phrases on the How to say index or try the Chinese Name Generator.
Phrase FAQ
How do you say "to pay the bill (in a restaurant etc) (loanword from Cantonese)" in Chinese?
埋单 (mái dān).
When should I use this phrase?
Use it in restaurant situations where a neutral tone fits. Because it is tagged beginner, it is meant to be practical and reusable rather than literary or highly specialized.
Is pronunciation included?
Yes. Every phrase page includes pinyin with tone marks, plus example sentences so you can hear how the wording expands in real use.
What should I learn next after this phrase?
A useful follow-up is 鱼丽 (yú lì) — ""fish" battle formation in ancient times: chariots in front, infantry behind". Studying connected phrases in small clusters makes them easier to recall in conversation.