Restaurant reservations Part 2 (Advanced): Understanding cancellation policies and deadlines.

💬 万一 (wàn yī) literally means "one in ten thousand." It's used for unlikely or unwanted possibilities: 万一人多了 "in case more people come."

💬 临时 (lín shí) means "at short notice, unplanned". It also works before other words, as in 临时加一个人 "add one more person last minute".

💬 Add 吗 to the end of any statement to make it a yes/no question, with no change in word order. 能退 "can refund" becomes 能退吗 "can it be refunded?"

💬 Put the amount of time right after 提前 to say how far ahead: 提前两天 "two days in advance".

🇨🇳 A 24-hour notice rule is common for deposit bookings. If you cancel later than that, expect to lose the deposit, so ask about the cutoff when you book.

💬 晚于 means "later than" and 早于 means "earlier than". Both are slightly formal and common in policy wording.

💬 Put 最晚 before a time to set a deadline: 最晚周五 "by Friday at the latest". Its opposite is 最早 "at the earliest".

💬 Adding 一声 after 说 makes it light and quick, like "give a shout". Here 一 is read (yì) because the next syllable is first tone.

💬 Putting 就行 at the end of an instruction means "that's all it takes." It's reassuring and works after almost anything, as in 付现金就行 "cash is fine."

💬 就行 at the end means "that's all it takes". Try 打个电话就行 "just give a call".

🇨🇳 Private rooms often come with a fixed menu or minimum spend tied to the head count. That's why staff care about changes to the number of guests.

🇨🇳 Private rooms often require a minimum total bill for the table. If your group orders less than that amount, you still pay the minimum, so ask the figure when you book.

💬 Put 麻烦您 before a request to make it polite, like "would you mind". Try 麻烦您等一下 "would you mind waiting a moment".

🇨🇳 您 is the respectful "you". Customers and staff both use it on the phone, and it makes the request sound courteous rather than demanding.

💬 上 after 订 means the booking actually gets locked in, not just attempted. 吧 at the end softens it into a friendly request.

💬 那 at the start means "in that case", so you're responding to what you just heard. It doesn't mean "that" here.

🇨🇳 Chinese restaurants file bookings under your phone number rather than your name. When you arrive, staff will often ask for the last four digits.

💬 好 after a verb shows the action is finished and ready, and 了 marks it as done. Compare 准备好了 "all ready".

🇨🇳 Deposits are usually paid through a link opened in WeChat or Alipay, not by card over the phone. Make sure your payment app is set up.

💬 发到 means "send to", with 到 marking where it goes. 上 after 手机 means "on", so it's literally "onto your phone".

💬 There's no word for "will be" here. The link is simply put first and then "send" follows, and context makes it clear the link is being sent.