Beginners Chinese Lessons – Greetings and Salutations

Hello/Greetings:

你怎么样? (Nǐzěnme yàng?): “What’s up?”or “How are you doing?”

幸会(Xìng huì): “Nice to meet you!”or “It’s a pleasure”

久仰(Jiǔyǎng): An extremely polite greeting that is not commonly used between friends, but rather between professionals meeting for the first time. This phrase is used to show one’s humble attitude and professional demeanor.

久闻大名(Jiǔwén dàmíng) This greeting should be reserved for use towards those whom you have extreme respect for, or who is quite well-known. Literally translates: “Your name is famous”which roughly means “I have heard much about you”.

Salutations:

親愛的…(qīn’aìde): “Dear (beloved),…”Often used for leaders and loved ones.

尊敬的…(zūnjìng de): “Revered …”For spiritual, political and famous persons.

敬愛的…(jìng’aìde): “Dear esteemed …”Often used for colleagues and distinguished persons.

Goodbyes/Farewells:

再见(Zàijiàn), which literally translates as “See you again”.

明天见Míngtiān jiàn; Literally “See you tomorrow”.

拜拜(Bàibài), which is a hybrid form of a Chinglish homonym for “Bye-Bye”. Widely used in Hong Kong, Taiwan (ROC) and most urbanised parts of mainland China. 掰掰is the variant character form that has gained so much popularity, it has actually been inducted into the official Xinhua dictionary.

回头见(Huítóujiàn), which roughly translates to “see you soon”. Used in northern China.

再会Zàihuì: Literally “adieu”. Usually used in Shanghai or other part of China, and sometimes used at the end of TV programs, soaps and sitcoms.