Find yourself in a restaurant in China with a teapot but no cup 🍵? Or with a bottle of beer 🍺 or wine 🍷 but no glass, a surprisingly common occurrence? Fear not.
All you have to do is ask for a 杯子 (bēi zi). This is a catch-all word which means both cup or glass. But, as ever, watch that flat tone on the first syllable.
If you're careless and use a falling tone, you'll say 被子 (bèi zi) and the server will think you are tired or feeling cold. You've asked for a quilt!
This is probably more avoidable if you ask for a 茶杯 (chá bēi), teacup for your tea or in the case of a beer or wine etc ask for a 玻璃杯 (bō li bēi) or drinking glass.
🍷 🍷
