不用找了
bù yòng zhǎo le
The English phrase 'keep the change' is translated into Chinese as 不用找了 (bù yòng zhǎo le).
不用找了 is used when paying for something, such as a taxi ride or a meal, to signal to the person receiving the money that they should not return the small amount of change. You may also encounter the variation 不用找钱 to specifically emphasize that there is no need to return the change money.
Meaning: instruction to keep the change (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 不用找了 literally means 'no need to find/return [it] anymore'.
How do you pronounce it?
bù yòng zhǎo le
When do people say it?
When you are a customer in a taxi, restaurant or shop, the staff may ask you 要找零钱吗? to mean 'Do you need the change?'
Did you know?
- While 不用找了 is polite, tipping is traditionally not practiced in China and can sometimes be seen as confusing or an insult in local eateries.
- In the digital age of mobile payments like Alipay, the phrase 不用找了 is becoming a linguistic relic because digital transactions eliminate the possibility of physical change.
- The word 零 in the related term 找零钱 refers to 'zero' or 'fragmented', which is why it is used to describe small coins or loose change.
Examples in context
- 店员 (diànyuán): 这是60元。(zhè shì liùshí yuán.) 你: 不用找。(bú yòng zhǎo.)Shop assistant: This is 60 yuan. You: Keep the change.
- 不用找了，谢谢。Bùyòng zhǎo le, xièxiè.Keep the change, thank you.
- 不用找了，剩下的给你。Bùyòng zhǎo le, shèng de gěi nǐ.Keep the change, the rest is for you.
- 不用找了，收起来吧。Bùyòng zhǎo le, shōu qǐlái ba.Keep the change, just put it away.
Example conversation
Xiaowen is paying the waiter for her coffee.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen一共多少钱？Yīgòng duōshǎo qián?How much is it in total?
- 俊杰 Junjie二十块。Èrshí kuài.Twenty yuan.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen给你三十块，不用找了。Gěi nǐ sānshí kuài, bùyòng zhǎo le.Here is thirty yuan, keep the change.
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，谢谢您。Hǎo de, xièxiè nín.Okay, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “keep the change” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
