jīpiào: 机票 - Plane Ticket, Airline Ticket

• Keywords: jipiao, 机票, plane ticket in Chinese, airline ticket Chinese, how to say plane ticket in Chinese, book a flight in Chinese, travel in China, Chinese for ticket, HSK 3 vocabulary
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese word 机票 (jīpiào), which means “plane ticket” or “airline ticket.” This page provides a deep dive for beginners, covering everything from the character breakdown of 机 (machine/plane) and 票 (ticket) to practical phrases for booking, changing, or cancelling flights in modern China. Understand the cultural context of mass travel during holidays and discover related terms like `登机牌 (dēngjīpái)` (boarding pass) to navigate Chinese airports with confidence.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jīpiào
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 3
• Concise Definition: A ticket for a flight on an airplane.
• In a Nutshell: 机票 (jīpiào) is a straightforward and fundamental word for anyone traveling by air in a Chinese-speaking context. It's a compound noun that literally means “machine ticket,” where “machine” is short for “airplane.” It covers the entire concept of an airline ticket, from the digital confirmation you receive after booking online to the record you reference at the check-in counter. It's one of the most practical nouns you'll learn for modern life and travel.

• 机 (jī): This character's primary meaning is “machine” or “engine.” In many modern compound words, it serves as a shorthand for a specific machine. In this case, 机 (jī) is short for 飞机 (fēijī), meaning “airplane.”
• 票 (piào): This character simply means “ticket.” It can also refer to a bank note or a ballot. You'll see it in other types of tickets like 火车票 (huǒchēpiào) (train ticket) and 电影票 (diànyǐngpiào) (movie ticket).
• Together, 机 (jī) + 票 (piào) creates the logical and transparent meaning: “airplane ticket.”

While a “plane ticket” is a universal concept, the context surrounding 机票 (jīpiào) in China has its own unique cultural flavor, shaped by technology and tradition. Unlike in the West where booking methods are diverse, purchasing a 机票 in China is overwhelmingly dominated by mobile super-apps like 携程 (Ctrip) and 飞猪 (Fliggy). The process is deeply integrated into mobile payment systems like Alipay and WeChat Pay. For many, buying a plane ticket is a purely digital, in-app experience. Furthermore, the concept of the 机票 is culturally magnified during two key periods: the Spring Festival (春节 Chūnjié) and the National Day (国庆节 Guóqìngjié) holiday week. During these times, hundreds of millions of people travel, leading to a phenomenon known as 抢票 (qiǎng piào) - “snatching/scrambling for tickets.” Securing a reasonably priced 机票 for a hometown visit becomes a major, often stressful, annual ritual, reflecting the deep-seated cultural value of family reunion.

机票 (jīpiào) is a neutral term used in all contexts. Here's how you'll encounter it:

• Booking a Ticket: The most common action is 买机票 (mǎi jīpiào) (to buy a plane ticket) or the slightly more formal 订机票 (dìng jīpiào) (to book a plane ticket).
• Types of Tickets: You will often specify whether you want a 单程机票 (dānchéng jīpiào) (one-way ticket) or a 往返机票 (wǎngfǎn jīpiào) (round-trip ticket).
• E-Tickets: Physical paper tickets are a thing of the past. Today, you will always deal with an 电子机票 (diànzǐ jīpiào) (e-ticket), which is essentially a booking confirmation number. You use your ID (like a 护照 hùzhào) to check in.
• Modifying a Ticket: If your plans change, you might need to 改签机票 (gǎiqiān jīpiào) (change a flight ticket) or 退机票 (tuì jīpiào) (cancel/refund a plane ticket).

• Example 1:
  • 我想在网上订一张去上海的机票。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ xiǎng zài wǎngshàng dìng yī zhāng qù Shànghǎi de jīpiào.
  • English: I want to book a plane ticket to Shanghai online.
  • Analysis: This is a classic, useful sentence for expressing your intent to book a ticket. `订 (dìng)` is a common verb for booking tickets, hotels, or reservations.
• Example 2:
  • 春节的机票太贵了，而且很难买到。
  • Pinyin: Chūnjié de jīpiào tài guì le, érqiě hěn nán mǎi dào.
  • English: The plane tickets for Spring Festival are too expensive, and they're very hard to get.
  • Analysis: This sentence reflects the cultural context of the holiday travel rush. `买到 (mǎi dào)` means “to succeed in buying.”
• Example 3:
  • 你买的是单程机票还是往返机票？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ mǎi de shì dānchéng jīpiào háishì wǎngfǎn jīpiào?
  • English: Did you buy a one-way plane ticket or a round-trip plane ticket?
  • Analysis: Highlights the vocabulary for one-way (`单程 dānchéng`) and round-trip (`往返 wǎngfǎn`), which are essential modifiers for 机票.
• Example 4:
  • 对不起，这张特价机票不能退改。
  • Pinyin: Duìbùqǐ, zhè zhāng tèjià jīpiào bùnéng tuì gǎi.
  • English: Sorry, this special-offer plane ticket cannot be refunded or changed.
  • Analysis: `特价 (tèjià)` means “special price.” `退改 (tuì gǎi)` is a common abbreviation for `退票 (tuì piào)` (refund ticket) and `改签 (gǎiqiān)` (change ticket).
• Example 5:
  • 我已经收到了机票的确认邮件。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ yǐjīng shōudào le jīpiào de quèrèn yóujiàn.
  • English: I have already received the confirmation email for the plane ticket.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the modern reality of e-tickets (`电子机票`). The `确认邮件 (quèrèn yóujiàn)` (confirmation email) is your proof of purchase.
• Example 6:
  • 你把你的机票信息发给我一下。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bǎ nǐ de jīpiào xìnxī fā gěi wǒ yīxià.
  • English: Can you send me your plane ticket information?
  • Analysis: Uses the `把 (bǎ)` structure to talk about handling an object (`机票信息 jīpiào xìnxī` - ticket information).
• Example 7:
  • 这张机票包含免费的行李托运吗？
  • Pinyin: Zhè zhāng jīpiào bāohán miǎnfèi de xínglǐ tuōyùn ma?
  • English: Does this plane ticket include free checked baggage?
  • Analysis: A very practical question when booking flights. `行李托运 (xínglǐ tuōyùn)` means “baggage check-in.”
• Example 8:
  • 只要有护照，你就可以凭机票的订单号办理登机。
  • Pinyin: Zhǐyào yǒu hùzhào, nǐ jiù kěyǐ píng jīpiào de dìngdān hào bànlǐ dēngjī.
  • English: As long as you have your passport, you can use your plane ticket's order number to check in.
  • Analysis: This clarifies the process at the airport. You use the `订单号 (dìngdān hào)` (order number) from your 机票 to `办理登机 (bànlǐ dēngjī)` (handle check-in).
• Example 9:
  • 两个小时后我的机票就要起飞了！
  • Pinyin: Liǎng ge xiǎoshí hòu wǒ de jīpiào jiù yào qǐfēi le!
  • English: My flight (lit. plane ticket) is taking off in two hours!
  • Analysis: Here, `机票` is used colloquially to refer to the flight itself, much like saying “My ticket is at 8 PM” in English. `起飞 (qǐfēi)` means “to take off.”
• Example 10:
  • 如果要改签机票，需要付手续费吗？
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ yào gǎiqiān jīpiào, xūyào fù shǒuxùfèi ma?
  • English: If I want to change my flight ticket, do I need to pay a processing fee?
  • Analysis: Introduces two key travel words: `改签 (gǎiqiān)` (to change a ticket) and `手续费 (shǒuxùfèi)` (processing fee).

A critical mistake for learners is confusing 机票 (jīpiào) with 登机牌 (dēngjīpái). They are not interchangeable.

• 机票 (jīpiào) - Plane Ticket: This is your proof of purchase and reservation. It's the record that you have a seat on a flight. In the age of e-tickets, this is often just a confirmation number or QR code in an email or app.
• 登机牌 (dēngjīpái) - Boarding Pass: This is the physical or digital document you receive after you check in. It contains your name, seat number, gate number, and boarding time. You cannot get on the plane with just a `机票`; you must have a `登机牌`.

Incorrect Usage:

• (At the boarding gate, showing a booking confirmation email)
• `这是我的机票，我可以上飞机了吗？` (This is my plane ticket, can I get on the plane?)
• Why it's wrong: The staff needs to see your `登机牌 (dēngjīpái)`, not your booking confirmation (`机票`).

Correct Usage:

• `我用我的机票预订号在网上值机，然后手机上就收到了登机牌。`
• Pinyin: Wǒ yòng wǒ de jīpiào yùdìng hào zài wǎngshàng zhí jī, ránhòu shǒujī shàng jiù shōudào le dēngjīpái.
• English: I used my plane ticket's reservation number to check in online, and then I received the boarding pass on my phone.

• 飞机 (fēijī) - Airplane. The “machine” that the `机票` is for.
• 机场 (jīchǎng) - Airport. The place where you use your `机票`.
• 登机牌 (dēngjīpái) - Boarding Pass. The document you get after check-in and use to board the plane. The most important related term to distinguish from `机票`.
• 航班 (hángbān) - Flight / Flight Number. Refers to the scheduled service itself (e.g., “Flight CA981”).
• 护照 (hùzhào) - Passport. The identification you use with your `机票` for international travel.
• 订票 (dìng piào) - To book tickets. A general verb that is often used for booking a `机票`.
• 携程 (Xiéchéng) - Ctrip. China's largest travel booking website, culturally significant for buying a `机票`.
• 火车票 (huǒchēpiào) - Train Ticket. A direct comparison, showing how `票` is used for other forms of transport.
• 单程票 (dānchéng piào) - One-way Ticket. A specific type of ticket.
• 往返票 (wǎngfǎn piào) - Round-trip Ticket. A specific type of ticket.