2.1.1: Saying Hello (模块一- 你好)

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Module I: Saying Hello

模块一：你好

Scenario 1.1: Say hello in general.
A: B:	你好。你好。	你	nǐ	you
		好	hǎo	good, well
		你好	nǐhǎo	hello
Note: 你好 literally means “(I hope that) you are well.” It can be used with people you know or do not know at any time of the day. To respond, you can simply say the same thing.

Scenario 1.2: A student named Li Ming meets Teacher Wang.
LM: W:	王老师，您好。李明，你好。	王	Wáng	Chinese surname
		老师	lǎoshī	teacher
		您	nín	you (polite)
		李	Lǐ	Chinese surname
		明	Míng	Chinese given name
Note: TITLES It is polite to address people by using their surname and title. This pattern is: Surname + Title 王老师 (lit. “Wang Teacher”) This is the opposite order from English. 您 is the polite form for 你, and would be used by students to address their teachers, or by younger people to address older people, or by adults to address others in a formal environment.

Scenario 1.3: Li Ming meets his friend Zhang Wenshan’s parents.
LM: F: LM: M:	张叔叔好。小明，你好。张阿姨好。小明，你好。	张	Zhāng	Chinese surname
		叔叔	shūshu	uncle
		小	xiǎo	little, junior
		阿姨	āyí	aunt
Note: TITLES It is polite to address people of your parents’ age by using 叔叔 (lit. uncle) and 阿姨 (lit. aunt). If you know their surname, add their surname to the front. The pattern is: Surname + 叔叔/阿姨张叔叔 (lit. “Uncle Zhang”) 小and 老 (lǎo) followed by monosyllabic surname or monosyllabic given name are commonly used to address people or to refer to them. The pattern is: 小/老+Surname/Given Name like 小明(lit. Little Ming),老张 (lit. Old Zhang),小李 (lit. Little Li). This pattern is only used in informal conversation. Non-native speakers should not use these terms until invited to do so.

Scenario 1.4: Neighbors meet around eating time. (informal)

Chīle ma? (吃了吗？)

Chīle, nǐ ne? (吃了，你呢？)

A: (Have) you eaten yet?

B: Yes, I ate. How about you?

Scenario 1.5: Coworkers meet outside the office. (informal)

Chūqù a? (出去啊？)

Èn, chūqù yīxià. (嗯，出去一下。)

A: (Are you) Going out?

B: Yes. (I am) going out for a short while.

Note:

INFORMAL GREETINGS In China, when people are familiar with each other, one will often ask the other a simple question in greeting. For example, if you pass by a neighbor in the hallway and it is around dinnertime, you might ask:

“Chī le ma? (吃了吗 ?)”

(lit. “Have you eaten yet”?)

Do not consider this as a dinner invitation. It is just a greeting. Even if you in fact have not yet eaten, it does not matter. The usual response to the question is:

“Chī le, nǐ ne? (吃了。你呢?)”

(lit. “Yes, I have eaten. How about you”?)

Or, if two coworkers meet outside the office, one might ask:

“Chūqù a? （出去啊?)”

(lit. “Are you going out”?)

It is a greeting rather than an actual question. The response is usually very simple.

吗 a final particle, is used to transform statements into questions. One of the most common ways of forming a question in Chinese is by adding吗 to the end of a statement.

了 in this phrase indicates a changed situation (i.e., I have eaten now, but I did not earlier).

呢 a final particle, is used to abbreviate questions like “How about you?” in English.

一下 literally “a bit,” is often added after certain verbs to indicate that an action lasts for only a short period of time.