20

Greetings and goodbyes

This chapter contains the most common expressions used by Mandarin Chinese speakers when greeting others and saying goodbye in different contexts. The expressions here are those used by the majority of Mandarin speakers, but differences between mainland and Taiwan Mandarin are noted where relevant. In Chinese, greetings and goodbyes are typically not accompanied by body contact such as a handshake, hug, or kiss, though handshakes are becoming more common in cities.

Greetings are used to acknowledge the presence of another person. Chinese uses different kinds of greetings depending upon the relationship of speaker and addressee, the time of day in which the greeting is made, and whether or not contact is face-to- face. Greetings that take the form of questions typically need no response.

20.1Greetings in conversations

20.1.1Basic greeting

To greet casual acquaintances or to greet others in a shopping or business environment, or when meeting someone for the first time, or when answering the telephone, say:

Nm hko.

Hi. (How are you?)

The response to this greeting is:

Nm hko.

Hi. (How are you?)

or

!"#!"#

Hko. Xièxie. Nm ne?

Fine. Thanks. And you?

NOTE Until recently, the expression n\ hzo was primarily used when greeting foreigners, but in Chinese cities it is now widely used between native speakers of Chinese.

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A more formal variation of this greeting uses the polite pronoun nín ‘you’:

!"#$

!"#$

Máo: Wáng jrnglm, nín hko?

Mao: Manager Wang, how are you?

Wáng: Hko.

Wang: Fine.

20.1.2Greetings with reference to time of day

The most common morning greeting is:

Zko.

Good morning.

The response is:

Zko.

Good morning.

An alternative form of this greeting is:

Zko’pn.

Good morning.

or

!

Zkoshang hko.

Good morning.

There is no greeting associated with any other time of day.

20.1.3Greeting people by calling them ( jiào)

In China, it is very common to greet others by making eye contact and calling them by name, title, or appropriate kinship term. To greet others in this way is to jiào ‘call’ them. This greeting can include hko or nm hko.

Í18.4

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20.1.4Greeting others by referring to their present activity

Relatives, friends, or close acquaintances may greet each other by referring to their present activity. Here are some examples.

A variation of this kind of greeting is to ask about present activity.

20.1.5Greeting by asking about eating a meal

When greeting others around normal meal times, you can ask if they have eaten.

20.1.6 Telephone greetings

The most common phone greetings are:

Wèi/Wéi. (It may be spoken in a rising or falling tone.) Hello.

!"

Wéi, nm hko.

Hello, how are you?

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20.2Saying goodbye in conversations

20.2.1Basic goodbyes

The most general way to say goodbye and to end a conversation is:

Zài jiàn.

Goodbye. (lit. ‘again see’ → ‘see you again’)

In Taiwan, and increasingly in mainland China, people also say:

Báibái. (also pronounced bàibài)

Bye bye. (borrowed from English ‘bye bye’)

If the participants in a conversation expect to see each other in the near future, they may use variations of zàijiàn to say goodbye. These include:

!"!"

Yrhuìr jiàn.

See you in a moment.

!!

Huí tóu jiàn.

See you in a moment. (lit. ‘See you in the turn of a head.’)

!!

Míngtipn jiàn.

See you tomorrow.

!!

Hòutipn jiàn.

See you the day after tomorrow.

Other expressions indicating future time can be used before / jiàn.

20.2.2Saying goodbye to a guest

To say goodbye to a guest, use one of these expressions:

Màn znu.

Don’t hurry off.

!!

Zài lái wán.

Come again. (informal)

!"!"

Ynu kòng zài lái.

Come again when you have time.

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( ) ( )

(Qmng) hko znu.

(Please) take care.

To respond to a host when taking leave, use one of these expressions:

Bié sòng.

Don’t see me off.

!!

Qmng liú bù.

Please do not bother to see me off. (more formal)

20.2.4Saying goodbye with reference to time of day

Wkn’pn.

Goodnight.

NOTE wzn’un can only be used as a goodbye, and not as a greeting.

20.3Greetings and goodbyes in letters

20.3.1Greetings and salutations in letters

Letters begin with the name of the addressee.

In informal letters to someone with whom you have a close relationship, you may use the recipient’s given name, or family name and given name. Sometimes these are followed by these kinship terms:

xisng elder brother, a form of address used by males of the same

generation

dì younger brother, a form of address used to a younger male

zm elder sister or jil, a form of address used by female of the

same generation

or

mèi younger sister, a form of address used to a younger female

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!!

Jiànguó xisng:

Elder brother Jianguo:

!

Mliyrng zm:

Elder sister Meiying:

A more formal letter may begin with the addressee’s family name or family name and given name followed by his or her title.

!"#!"#

Wáng Jiànguó xipnsheng:

Mr. Wang Jianguo:

More formal letters may also begin with the name and title of the addressee following by a standard salutation. Note that the use of the family name makes the greeting more formal than the use of the given name alone.

The following phrases may also be used after the name and title of the addressee.

Polite and formal

/ jTnjiàn ‘for your perusal’

!"#!"#

Wáng xipnsheng jtnjiàn:

Mr. Wang for your perusal:

!"#!"#

Wáng xiàozhkng jtnjiàn:

Principal Wang for your perusal:

Polite but less formal

rúwù ‘as if talking to you face-to-face’

!"#!"#

Jiànguó xisng rúwù:

Elder brother Jianguo, it is as if I were talking to you face-to-face:

/ huìjiàn ‘please be kind enough to read the following letter’

!"#!"#

Mliyrng zm huìjiàn:

Elder sister Meiying, please be kind enough to read the following letter:

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The use of a formal title makes this salutation more formal:

!"#$!"#$

Mliyrng nushì huìjiàn:

Ms. Meiying, please be kind enough to read the following letter:

This salutation is used in letters from a government department or organization to

an individual.

táiduPn ‘for your gracious perusal’

!"#!"#

Wáng xipnsheng táidupn:

Mr. Wang, for your gracious perusal:

20.3.2Goodbyes in letters

The following expressions are used to close the letter. They occur after the body of the letter, before the name of the sender.

Expressions used to extend good wishes to the addressee

These expressions occur immediately after the body of the letter, before any additional greetings.

jìng zhù respectfully extending (good) wishes to you

Wishes for good health and well being

The following phrases are standard expressions of good wishes. They occur after one of the previous phrases, before the name of the sender. Note that many are linked to a specific season or to the new year.

chtn’pn a peaceful spring

xià’pn your health, your well-being in the summer season

qit’pn your welfare in this autumn season

dsng’pn your well-being in this winter season

jiào qí (instructing you to have) good fortune

xrnxm Happy New Year

dào’pn asking about your well-being

jtn’pn your well-being

Expressions included with the signature

The following expressions are included after the name of the sender.

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For letters written to someone of the same generation as oneself:

Less formal

More formal

jìng shàng respectfully presented

bài shàng respectfully yours

zài bài bow twice (a polite closing to a letter)

For very formal letters written to a superior

In addition, if the addressee is referred to as xisng, dì, zm, or mèi in the salutation, the writer typically prefixes the reciprocal generation term to his or her name in the closing. In other words, a male writer who greets his addressee with xisng typically closes the letter by prefixing his name with dì. A female writer who greets her addressee with zm typically closes the letter by prefixing her name with mèi.

In the body of a letter, the name of the sender and the date of the letter are placed at the end of the letter.

Sample letters illustrating the format and the use of these expressions are presented here.

20.3.3Sample letter outlines

20.3.3.1 Informal letter to a friend

!"#!"#

Lìlì zm rúwù:

Older sister Lili as I talk to you face-to-face: [body of the letter]

Shùn sòng

I take this opportunity to send regards and wish your well-being

Xià’pn

peace in this summer season

!" mèi Wáng Jiplíng shàng

yr yuè shí’èr rì

Younger sister Wang Jialing January 12

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20.3.3.2 Formal letter

!"#!"#

Zhpng lkoshr jtn jiàn:

Professor Zhang, for your perusal: [body of the letter]

jìng sòng

(I) extend good wishes

jiào qí

good fortune

!"

!" xuésheng Wáng Mlilì bài shàng

wo yuè shíqr rì

(Your) student, Wang Meili, I bow to you May 17

20.3.3.3 Very formal letter

!"#$%!"#$%

Liú Jiàn’pn xiàozhkng táidupn:

Principal Liu Jian’an, for your perusal: [body of the letter]

Cm sòng

(I) extend good wishes to

dào’pn

Your health

!"#

!"#

Gus Ynuqíng jmn bmng

jio yuè èrshí bp rì

Guo Youqing respectfully submitted September 28, 2004

For the format used in addressing envelopes, see

Í18.7

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