All About Me
Greetings
When Chinese people meet each other, if they are of similar age, they shake hands and say:
nǐ hǎo / 你 好 - Hello
Children usually bow to elderly people to show politeness and say:
nín hǎo / 您 好 - Hello (polite)
You can also say:
zǎo shang hǎo / 早上 好 - Good morning / good day
nǐ hǎo ma / 你 好 吗 - How are you?
wǒ hěn hǎo / 我 很 好 - I’m fine.
wŏ bù shū fu / 我 不 舒 服 - I’m not well (literally, comfortable).
nǐ ne / 你 呢 - And you?
To say goodbye, you could use:
zài jiàn / 再见 - Goodbye
míng tiān jiàn / 明 天 见 - See you tomorrow
yí huì er jiàn / 一 会 儿 见 - See you later (very soon)
In China, it's important to respect your elders. You'd usually bow to a teacher before speaking to them. You'd also bow to your grandparents and other elderly people.
xiān sheng / 先 生 - Mr
nǚ shì / 女 士 - Ms
DID YOU KNOW ... if a waiter asks if you'd like more of something, you don't reply 'please' as you would in English but 'thank you'.
xiè xie / 谢 谢 - Thanks
