Handshakes are the standard, casual greeting. The grip tends to be lighter than the Western handshake and is also sustained for longer.
In formal situations, people bow slightly or nod politely to greet one another formally. The bow is from the shoulders and should be greater if the person you are greeting has a higher status than you.
If seated, the Chinese will stand up out of respect when they are introduced to someone.
Always greet those that are older than you first.
Use a person’s family name and appropriate title to address them unless they have indicated that you can move on to addressing them on a first-name basis.
Usually, only friends address one another by their given names.
Nicknames are used only between very close friends or lovers.
To show a high level of respect, friends might use the terms ‘lao’ (old) and ‘xiao’ (young) with or instead of titles.
When first meeting a Chinese person in a rural area, it is common to be invited to join them for a meal. This is an old greeting that offers politeness, yet does not usually transpire into an actual meal.
It is considered impolite to greet a friend with a comment that could be perceived to have negative connotations, such as "You look tired".
In Chinese, the most common way to say “Hi” is “你好(nǐhǎo)”. Sometimes we may use “您好(nínhǎo)” to show respect to our teachers or the seniors. Besides “你好(nǐhǎo)” and “您好(nínhǎo)”, there are other ways to greet others in daily life.
As we know, you should answer "bu keqi 不客气" (you're welcome) when someone said "xiè xie" to you. However, many Chinese answered "bu yong xie" instead. "bu yong xie" means "you don't need to say thank you to me".
In formal situations, people bow slightly or nod politely to greet one another formally. The bow is from the shoulders and should be greater if the person you are greeting has a higher status than you. If seated, the Chinese will stand up out of respect when they are introduced to someone.
Wǒ hěn hǎo This is the most common response. Just like in English when people ask, “how are you?” people expect a positive response. Chinese is no different. I am doing okay.
“早(zǎo)”, “早安 (zǎo an)” and “早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo)” all mean “Good Morning” in Mandarin Chinese. Just like in English, it is common to greet people by saying “good morning”, “good afternoon” or “good evening”, when you first saw them or speak to them in a day.
The simplest way to introduce yourself in Chinese is to say 你好 (nǐ hǎo) meaning “hello” and 我叫 (wǒ jiào) meaning “my name is.” But, if you want to know even more about the different ways you can introduce yourself and information about you in Chinese, we're here to help.
One of the most common ways to say “You are welcome” in Chinese and usually the first taught to students of Mandarin Chinese, is the easy and ultra-useful phrase: 不客气 bù kèqì.
The first fulfills one of the primary hospitality customs, which is offering your guests a seat once they are inside. You can welcome your guests with this phrase: 歡迎歡迎 請坐 (traditional form) or 欢迎欢迎 请坐 (simplified form). The phrase is pronounced ►Huān yíng huān yíng, qǐng zuò and translates to “Welcome, welcome!
It might also be worth noting that English is increasingly commonplace in major cities, so many of the people you interact with may speak English. That said, here are a few common Chinese phrases that may come in handy during your visit: 你好 (ni hao, hello), 谢谢 (xiexie, thank you), and 再见 (zaijian, goodbye).
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