An allergy card in Chinese gives the restaurant what it needs to protect you: the food to avoid, how serious the reaction is, and the words to use. It is the single most useful thing a family with a food allergy can carry in China. Prepare it before you fly, print it, and show it before you order.
What should the card say?
Keep it short and put the most serious line first. Copy and adapt this version.
- 我对花生严重过敏，吃了会有生命危险。 (I have a severe peanut allergy; it can be life-threatening.)
- 请不要使用花生、花生油或花生酱。 (Please do not use peanuts, peanut oil or peanut sauce.)
- 请用干净的锅、铲和砧板。 (Please use a clean wok, spatula and chopping board.)
- 请告诉我哪些菜没有这个成分。 (Please tell me which dishes do not contain it.)
Swap 花生 (peanut) for the food that applies: 虾 (shrimp), 牛奶 (milk), 鸡蛋 (egg), 芝麻 (sesame), 大豆 (soy) or 坚果 (nuts). Add a second line if more than one food is involved, and say whether it is the child or an adult.
How do you use it at the table?
Show the card before ordering, not after the dish arrives. Point at each line and wait for a nod or a clear answer. Then ask the kitchen to confirm, and watch the plate when it arrives.
Cross-contact is the risk to plan for. A wok used for a peanut dish may be reused for yours, so ask for a clean wok. Choose dishes with fewer sauces, and say no to anything you cannot identify. Our translation app guide shows how to translate a menu photo without signal.
What if a reaction starts?
Stop eating, move away from the table and take any prescribed medicine as your doctor advised. The ambulance and medical emergency number is 120[1]. China has no single 911-style number, and operators mostly speak Mandarin[2]. Ask the hotel front desk or a staff member to make the call, and show them a card that says what the person has eaten.
Our emergency numbers and health phrases guide has the lines to save for a clinic or hospital visit. Carry your medicine in its original packaging, in your hand luggage, with a doctor’s note.
How do you plan the rest of the day?
Choose meals you can check, and keep a backup. Breakfast at the hotel is the easiest place to ask questions. Pack safe snacks for long journeys, and avoid street stalls if the allergy is severe. Our street food guide explains how to judge a stall by sight.
If you also follow a vegetarian diet, read our guide to vegetarian and Buddhist meal requests. For a driver or guide who will repeat the request, put the card into your bilingual hotel and transfer sheet.