Ni lai guo Zhongguo ma? (你来过中国吗？): Have you been to China?

The structure is 你 (you) + 来 (come) + 过 (experience marker) + 中国 (China) + 吗 (question particle). The particle 过 indicates that the action has been experienced at least once.

Variations and politeness

你去过中国吗？

nǐ qù guo Zhōngguó ma?

Have you been to China? — Uses the verb 'to go' instead of 'to come', focusing on the trip rather than arrival.

你曾经来过中国吗？

nǐ céngjīng lái guo Zhōngguó ma?

Have you ever been to China? — More formal with the addition of 'ever' (曾经).

Mini dialogue

你来过中国吗？

nǐ lái guo Zhōngguó ma?

Have you been to China?

是的，我去年去了。

shì de, wǒ qù nián qù le.

Yes, I went last year.

When to use it

Appropriate

When meeting someone new and making small talk about travel experiences.
When you want to know if someone has visited China at least once.
In casual conversation to open up a topic about China or travel.

Avoid when

When you already know the person has been to China; asking would be redundant.
When the context is about a specific trip in progress; use a different structure for 'are you coming to China?'

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'Have you been to China?' in Chinese?

You can say 'nǐ lái guo Zhōngguó ma?' (你来过中国吗？). It literally means 'Have you come to China before?'

How do you pronounce 'nǐ lái guo Zhōngguó ma?'

Pronounce it as 'nee lai gwor jong-gwor ma?' with a rising intonation on 'ma' to indicate a question.

When do you use '你来过中国吗？' instead of '你去过中国吗？'?

Use '你来过中国吗？' when you are in China or the listener is in China, focusing on the experience of coming here. '你去过中国吗？' is more general and can be used anywhere.