What does 二维码 mean?

二维码 is the technological backbone of daily Chinese life. The QR code was invented in Japan, but China adopted it more thoroughly than any other society. You will scan a 二维码 to: pay for groceries, order at a restaurant, add a new friend on WeChat, enter an office building, board a subway, rent a shared bike, check into a hotel, and register at a hospital.

The two essential scanning phrases:

• 你扫我还是我扫你？ — “You scan me, or I scan you?” The most common question when two people exchange WeChat contacts. One person opens their personal QR code; the other scans it.
• 扫一下 — “Scan it (quickly).” The 一下 softens the command into a casual request. A vendor will say 扫一下这里 (scan here).

The QR code menu phenomenon: since the pandemic, virtually all Chinese restaurants replaced physical menus with a QR code on the table. You scan it, a mini-program opens, and you order and pay through your phone. The phrase 扫码点餐 (scan to order) is on every table. This system is efficient but can be alienating for elderly customers and foreigners who haven’t set up WeChat Pay.

Payment QR codes come in two forms: the static code you scan (the merchant’s code) and the dynamic code on your phone screen (your payment code that the cashier scans). The phrase 我扫你 clarifies who scans whose code.