第三课 寒暄 Chinese Greetings

第三课 寒暄
Dì sān kè Hán xuān
Lesson 03 Chinese Greetings



Chinese greetings are very useful in daily living. Lesson 03 Chinese Greetings will provide you basic Chinese greeting sentences in the situation wher people run into an acquaintance. For example, when a Chinese person comes across an older acquaintance, he/she may address the person respectfully, such as "Aunt Zhang", "Uncle Wang" or "How are you, Aunt Zhang?" or "Good morning, Grandpa Li.". To people close to you in age, you may just say "Ni hao" (Hi/Hello) if you don't know the person well. If you know the person well and say "Ni hao" to him/her, it may sound a bit strange. If you run into someone younger than you, it is proper to greet him/her by saying his/her name or asking about something to show your concern.

Dialogues

Background:Rebecca and Wang Bo run into each other at Wangfujing.


   王波：丽贝卡！
               Lì bèi kă!
               Hi, Rebecca!

丽贝卡：嘿，王波！这么巧，在这儿碰见你。
                Hēi, Wáng Bō!Zhè me qiăo， zài zhè ér pèng jiàn nĭ.
                Hi,Wang Bo! What a surprise to meet you here!

    王波：是啊，太巧了。你最近怎么样？你来买东西吗？
                Shì a, tài qiăo le. Nĭ zuì jìn zĕn me yàng? Nĭ lái măi dōng xi ma?
                You too! How are you these days? Are you doing some shopping here?

丽贝卡：很好，我很喜欢北京。我听说王府井很有名，就来随便逛逛。你呢？
                Hĕn hăo, Wŏ hĕn xĭ huan Bĕijīng. Wŏ tīng shuō wáng fŭ jĭng hĕn yŏu míng,jiù lái suí biàn guàng guàng. Nĭ ne?
                Yes, I like Beijing very much. I'm just walking around since I hear Wangfujing is very famous. What about you?

    王波：我是来买书的。要是方便，我陪你一起逛吧。
                Wŏ shì lái măi shū de. Yào shì fāng biàn, wŏ péi nĭ yīqĭ guàng ba.
                I'm here to buy some books. If you'd like, I can take you around.

丽贝卡：太好了，我对这儿不熟，正好需要一个向导。
                Tài hăo le, wŏ duì zhè ér bù shú, zhèng hăo xū yào yī gè xiàng dăo.
                That'll be great. I don't know this place well and really need a guide.

Basic Sentences

1. 这么巧，在这儿碰见你。
     Zhè me qiăo, zài zhè ér pèng jiàn nĭ.
     What a surprise to meet you here!

2. 要是方便，我陪你一起逛吧。
    Yào shì fāng biàn, wŏ péi nĭ yī qĭ guàng ba.
     If you'd like, I can take you around.

3. 你 最 近 怎 么 样？
    Nĭ zuì jìn zĕn me yàng?
    How are you these days?

Also, at different occasions and locations, different Chinese greetings might be used. During mealtimes, you may hear people greet each other by asking, "Have you eaten?" or, "You're up so early?" when it is early in the morning; or, "wher are you going?" when out on the street; or, "You haven't gone to bed yet?" at night. These questions may sound very specific, but they are often rhetorical, so people just nod their head with a smile or give a simple response. That will do.