Life in Mainland China
Paying by phone: a Chinese conversation with pinyin and English
Alipay and WeChat Pay run on two scan patterns, and the digital yuan (e-CNY) is issued by the central bank.
Play: Paying by phoneThe conversation
Speakers: Xiaoyu and Yichen.
- Xiaoyu
你对着镜子举着手机干嘛呢？
What are you doing standing in front of the mirror with your phone up?
- Yichen
我在测试扫码器。这家店的码贴在哪边？
Testing out the QR code scanner. Where do they put the code here?
- Xiaoyu
大分析师，一共就两种。在小摊上，你扫店家的打印码。
Seriously, Mr. Financial Analyst, there are only two ways. At a street stall, you scan their printed code.
- Yichen
然后输入金额，用密码或者刷脸确认。
Then you type in the amount and confirm it with your passcode or facial recognition.
- Xiaoyu
紧接着小喇叭就喊到账了，我特别喜欢那个声音。
And right after, the little speaker blasts out that payment received alert. I'm obsessed with that sound.
- Xiaoyu
那在超市呢？结账时怎么付？
What about at a supermarket? How do you pay at checkout?
- 收银员扫你的付款码 The cashier scans your payment code
- 你扫收银员的胸牌 You scan the cashier's name tag
- 你在柜台手输金额 You manually punch in the amount at the counter
Answer
收银员扫你的付款码 The cashier scans your payment code
- Yichen
收银员扫你的付款码就行，那码每几秒钟刷新一次。
The cashier just scans your payment code, and that code refreshes every few seconds.
- Xiaoyu
用支付宝还是微信支付？
Are we using Alipay or WeChat Pay?
- Yichen
都绑定银行卡。支付宝是蚂蚁集团的，微信支付归腾讯管。
Both link to your bank cards. Alipay belongs to Ant Group and WeChat Pay is run by Tencent.
- Xiaoyu
我奶奶买东西都是从袜子里掏现钞。
My grandma still digs cash out of her socks whenever she goes shopping.
- Yichen
这完全合规。2024年的规定明确要求现金必须能用。
That's completely legal. The 2024 regulations explicitly state that cash must be accepted.
- Xiaoyu
那我得告诉她一声，她肯定放心了。
I should let her know then. That'll definitely put her mind at ease.
- Yichen
还有央行发行的数字人民币呢。
There's also the digital RMB issued by the central bank.
- Xiaoyu
那玩意儿能塞袜子里吗？
Can you shove that thing into a sock?
Words in the conversation
Notes
Two wallets
Alipay (Zhifubao) comes from Ant Group, part of the Alibaba family. WeChat Pay (Weixin Zhifu) is run by Tenpay, Tencent's payment arm. Both link to a bank card.
You scan the shop
At a market stall or in a taxi the shop has a printed QR code. You open Scan (sao yi sao), point the camera at the code, type the amount and confirm with a PIN, a fingerprint or your face. The shop's speaker then announces the money received.
The shop scans you
At a supermarket or chain store you open the Pay code, a barcode and QR code that refreshes every few seconds. The cashier scans it with a handheld scanner and the payment completes with no amount to type.
Online payment users
CNNIC counted 1,029 million online payment users in China at December 2024. China had 1.125 billion internet users at December 2025.
Cash stays usable
A State Council Executive Meeting approved a payment guideline on 23 February 2024, published in early March. It called for wider acceptance of bank cards, a guarantee that cash can be used, and easier mobile payment.
The digital yuan
The e-CNY (shuzi renminbi, "digital renminbi") is issued by the People's Bank of China and held in an official e-CNY wallet app or in bank apps. On 29 December 2025 the bank announced a framework, in force from 1 January 2026, that moves e-CNY from a digital cash model to digital deposit money, and banks may pay interest on verified wallets.
Paying by phone
Alipay and WeChat Pay run on two scan patterns, and the digital yuan (e-CNY) is issued by the central bank.
Alipay's name in pinyin is:
Answer
Zhifubao. Zhifubao means roughly "payment treasure".
Which company runs WeChat Pay through Tenpay?
Answer
Tencent. Tenpay is Tencent's payment business.
At a fruit stall, the usual way to pay is to:
Answer
Scan the stall's QR code. Customer scans merchant is the stall pattern.
At a supermarket till you usually show:
Answer
Your Pay code. The Pay code refreshes every few seconds and the cashier scans it.
The 2024 payment guideline included a guarantee about:
Answer
Cash staying usable. It covered cards, cash and mobile payment together.
From 1 January 2026, banks may pay interest on:
Answer
Verified e-CNY wallets. The central bank's framework moved e-CNY to a digital deposit model.
What does the shop's speaker do after a scan payment?
Answer
Says the amount. It confirms the payment aloud so the seller does not need to check a screen.