Does 扫码 always mean WeChat Pay?

扫码 means “scan the code” — usually a QR for WeChat or Alipay. The green/blue app icons beside the characters tell you which wallet. The characters alone do not install the app for you; they mark the payment lane.

Where will I see 售票 at the Forbidden City vs a metro station?

At Gugong it marks ticket windows or self-service machines near the Meridian Gate approach. In metro halls 售票 / 购票 sit by machines and staff desks. Same character job: “this is where tickets are sold.”

If a window only shows 现金, am I stuck without cash?

现金 means cash. Many windows still prefer QR. If your phone payment fails, 现金 is the backup lane — carry a small stash for cableways, rural tickets, or stubborn machines. Do not assume every booth is cash-only because the word appears.

Guide

Paying and Tickets: Chinese Signs You’ll See

Ticket windows, gates, and payment boards — 票, 售票, 扫码, 现金, 入口 — so you recognize WeChat and Alipay cues without an app tutorial.

By VibeHanzi editorial · Last updated: 2026-07-26 · Canonical

Paying and ticket signs show up before the fun part of any landmark — windows, gates, and QR stickers. You do not need to speak; you need to recognize 票, 售票, 扫码, 现金, and 入口 so you join the correct queue. Character pages for place names live on /chars; this guide is the wallet-and-ticket deck.

As of July 2026, VibeHanzi covers 4 cities (Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Shanghai) and 36 published landmarks, with 221 spot-taught characters in the Characters by place index. Each spot page breaks down name characters with memory hooks and optional short games. Guides and games are free; no account is required to browse published places.

Ticket language you will reuse everywhere

票 — ticket. Alone or in compounds.
售票 / 购票 — ticket sales / buy tickets. Windows and machines.
入口 — entrance. After you have a ticket, follow this, not the exit stream.
扫码 — scan QR. Payment or ticket check.
现金 — cash. Backup when phones fail.

Attraction gates vs metro gates

Metro gates often pair 票 with bilingual icons; palace and park windows lean harder on Chinese-only boards when tour groups pack the lane. At the Forbidden City, separate staff may check passports and reservations — still look for 票 / 入口 so you do not enter a closed VIP queue. Cableways like Chongqing’s Yangtze ride reuse the same ticket verbs with longer outdoor queues.

Payment without an app tutorial

This site will not teach you to bind a foreign card. It will teach you to spot the sticker: 扫码 plus a green or blue logo means “phone wallet here.” If you only have cash, hunt 现金 or ask by pointing at bills. Hotels and major malls are easier; small snack stalls near Yu Garden may be QR-first.

Day-one pairing

Learn this set beside metro signs and first-day Beijing hanzi. Tickets and transfers share the same afternoon after landing.

FAQ

Does 扫码 always mean WeChat Pay?: 扫码 means “scan the code” — usually a QR for WeChat or Alipay. The green/blue app icons beside the characters tell you which wallet. The characters alone do not install the app for you; they mark the payment lane.
Where will I see 售票 at the Forbidden City vs a metro station?: At Gugong it marks ticket windows or self-service machines near the Meridian Gate approach. In metro halls 售票 / 购票 sit by machines and staff desks. Same character job: “this is where tickets are sold.”
If a window only shows 现金, am I stuck without cash?: 现金 means cash. Many windows still prefer QR. If your phone payment fails, 现金 is the backup lane — carry a small stash for cableways, rural tickets, or stubborn machines. Do not assume every booth is cash-only because the word appears.