I know enough Chinese to get me to places that the wife does not want to to go to

Interesting question as I almost commented on one of the blogs here last night about the posters language skills then thought better of it. I've been here 5 years now and I'm embarrassed that my Chinese isn't as good as it should be. 

I can get around okay, have a basic conversation, feed myself quite well and I'm up to about 400 characters with reading. But....I know I've been lazy! I'm now having 1-on-1 lessons each work including writing (I think that way my memorisation of characters will be better). 

I'd read a blog on here yesterday about a guys trip to Guilin with his wife. From what I gather he lives in BJ & after 12 years of living in China admitted he needed his wife's help to travel to Guilin. I was shocked that after 12 years his Chinese was that poor he couldn't get to another city without help. Then I realised that we're all different. I visited Xi'an & Lhasa on my own back in 2007 armed with about 20 words of Chinese & a lonely planet phrasebook. I'm comfortable traveling on my own & working things out. I guess that blogger isn't comfortable in similar circumstances. 

I speak Putonghua... so, basically, no - I can't go anywhere outside Beijing...

I was confident that in 2 years, I would have the language down pat.. 6 months in I gave up. I am not a stupid guy. but these 2000 flashcards screwed me up. I just realized what a task it was going to be, so I told the wife, again and again.... learn English!!!! I am lazy and not much interested in learning Chinese today. If it comes to me, so be it, but I am not spending hours and hours studying a language that is not going to make me a multi-millionaire.,,  whatever.

I can and do get around.....  often with a family members help, but I am proud that I can go pretty much anywhere and get done what it is I  want to get it done. takes a while, but I find most folks are helpful. not dismissive and uninterested in your money.

lots more English here than one might think .... to help, 

patience and understanding are pretty good things to know.....  relax. the train will come and they will let you on it, or the grocery bill is what it is, no point in arguing. 

My Chinese is good enough to do everything i need to here. It came out of necessity. My wife is lazy haha.

Im right at the level where when i speak to people they assume i must be fluent then start babbling about culture stuff and then i pretend i understand.

I can read and type ok enough. reading a newspaper is out but reading the headlines is ok. Qq convos. Drivibg directions is my thing. I can rwad every adress in China and find my way there.

sadly, no.

I get around the same way I've gotten around numerous other countries where I can't speak the lingo (Italy, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Phil, Mexico, Germany,Canada  ... )  

*yeah, I know Western Europe is pretty easy for English speakers

I'm like Mike.  I can do what I need to do to get the satisfaction I desire.

This is my full repertoire... 

Me; "Ni hao.  Qing gei wo yi ge ping bingde Wusu pijiu, xianzai.  Kuai.  Xie xie.  Bing pi.  Bing. Xianzai.  Bingde.  XIANZAI  BINGDE!  XIANZAI ffs....Arggh...."

Them;  "Hao hao hao......"

Me; repeat three more times.

Finally beer will arrive.  Unopened.  No opener.

Me;  "Hey mate, how do you think I'm supposed to open this bugger?"

Them; "Ting bu dong."

Me; "Fuk me, what is this bloke/lady thinking about?  How am I supposed to open it without an opener?  What are they thinking about?  Do they think I just want to look at the bloody thing?"

My mate; "The person is a waiter, not a professor."

Me;  "Hahahahaha..."

A day in the life.  In China.

My Chinese is good enough pretty much get anything done that I need done. I did some self-study and learned through necessity.

I can hold conversations about China and the government... problems Chinese encounter on their daily lives (they loving telling foreigners about this stuff, because they know a foreigner won't call them a traitor).

It is not as good as it should be... but unfortunately... most Chinese really don't have many interesting things to say.

as hotwater described, a bit of confidence goes a long way.

i have a spoken vocab of perhaps 1000 words, but listening depends on the keywords i can hear, and context. i can't understand half of what people say, and the other half is barely understood/extrapolated from keywords. my speaking is limited to keywords again, and only the simplest grammar if any.

i haven't been out on the lone adventurer path as much as i perhaps should, but i never feel lost even with adversity. delays at the bus station or confusion in the taxi are common, but if China taught me anything, it's patience and avoiding panic.

i've traveled alone to cities for interviews, traveled all over town for paperwork, and moved apartment between cities using the bus. some situations put me in a more vulnerable position, warranting extra caution and vigilance, but i never panicked or worried.

perhaps my history working security helped. fretting about risk causes hesitation, so it's better to push on and get it done with.

everyone is different, but i'm guessing the average China expat isn't the panicky type. Making the move to China would not be the "safe" choice whatever your options were.

Yeah, anywhere. I can read and write it far better than I can speak it.

I've traveled to over 40 cities, mostly alone, over 5 years.  The first year was rocky and hilariously educational.  Now, my traveling is smooth.  In fact, because of the advanced planning I need to do because of my language deficiencies, my vacations go smoother than most Chinese people, who hardly know where they are going or what they are doing.  I'm still wondering why it takes them so long to purchase a simple train ticket.

I've learned enough Chinese to do the basic things that I want out of life here--buy, ask directions, tell people off when they try to cheat me. I sometimes rely on friends when I need something more important. Honestly, I am not motivated to learn it better--I don't like the people and have no interest in dealing with this country after I leave. And I definatly (haha) don't (ah, haha) want to do business with them (hahahahaha!). As for travel--I was traveling around China in trains by the time I had been here a few months, armed with my paltry vocabulary, a smartphone (Google translate existed in the Middle Kingdom at the time), and the traveler's Bible--the Lonely Planet. I'm too dumb to think about what might have happened if those things failed me...people who are less dumb are probably not as comfortable traveling that way .

Technology!!!!!

I get by quite well and have no problem traveling on my own.  I learned mostly from speaking to Chinese people, not from text books, so speak like the locals do and can get pretty nasty too if I get pissed off by something.  But when it comes to reading and dealing with bureaucracy, I am stumped.