打车。

You can use it as a verb on its own. If you are standing on a street corner, you are 打车. If you want to tell someone your plan, you say 我要打车 (I want to take a taxi). It is very flexible. You can add a destination after it using 去 (qù). For example, 打车去机场 means 'take a taxi to the airport.' It’s much faster than saying the full word for taxi, which is 出租车 (chūzūchē). Nobody has time for all those syllables when it's raining!

Use it whenever you aren't driving yourself or taking the bus. It works when you're chatting with friends about how to get to a party. It works when you're at the office and need to get to a meeting. It even works when you're texting. If you're running late, just text 我在打车 (I am hailing a ride). It’s the universal 'I'm on my way' excuse.

Don't use 打车 if you are talking about a bus, a train, or a bicycle. Those have their own special verbs. Also, if you are in a very formal speech or writing a legal document, you might use 搭乘出租汽车. But honestly? In 99% of real life, 打车 is king. If you use the formal version at a bar, your friends might think you've turned into a textbook.

In the old days, you actually had to stand on the curb and wave your hand to 'hit' (hail) a taxi. That's where the 打 comes from. Today, most people in China use apps like Didi. Even though you are just tapping a screen, you still call it 打车. It’s a linguistic bridge between the old street-hailing days and the high-tech present.

You might hear 叫车 (jiào chē), which literally means 'call a car.' This is very common when using apps. There is also 拦车 (lán chē), which specifically means physically waving one down. If you're sharing the ride and the cost with a stranger, that’s 拼车 (pīn chē). But when in doubt, just stick with 打车. It’s the safest bet for any traveler.