Greetings, Politeness, and Address in Chinese: A Practical Guide for Life and Correspondence

In Chinese, not only the words matter but also how you say them: the level of formality, the address, and the appropriateness of the phrase in a specific situation. Sometimes the same “hello” can sound business-like, friendly, or overly formal—and this affects how you are perceived.

Below is a practical cheat sheet: greetings for different situations, basic polite phrases, and addresses that are actually used in China (in person and in WeChat). The format is designed so you can immediately copy phrases into your correspondence.

1) Basic Greetings: What to Say Most Often

Universal (Suitable Almost Always)

你好！ (Nǐ hǎo!) — Hello / Hi.
The most neutral phrase. Suitable for almost everyone in correspondence.
您好！ (Nín hǎo!) — Hello (polite).
Used when addressing elders, clients, partners, or teachers.
大家好！ (Dàjiā hǎo!) — Hello everyone.
Appropriate in a group, meeting, or presentation.

At Work and in Business Settings

早上好！ (Zǎoshang hǎo!) — Good morning.
上午好！ (Shàngwǔ hǎo!) — Good morning (formal: “before noon”).
下午好！ (Xiàwǔ hǎo!) — Good afternoon (after noon).
晚上好！ (Wǎnshang hǎo!) — Good evening.

Important: In WeChat, greetings are often brief, without “good day,” especially in work chats. It’s normal to write just 您好 or 你好 and get straight to the point.

2) How to Ask “How Are You” Without Sounding Strange

In Russian, “how are you?” is almost automatic politeness. In Chinese, this exists too, but the phrases are slightly different.

你好吗？ (Nǐ hǎo ma?) — How are you?
Grammatically correct but sounds a bit “textbook” in real speech. Better to use the options below.
最近怎么样？ (Zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?) — How have things been lately?
Very natural.
最近还好吗？ (Zuìjìn hái hǎo ma?) — Is everything going well?
Soft and friendly.
忙吗？ (Máng ma?) — Are you busy?
Often in China, instead of “how are you?” people ask this, especially in business correspondence.
最近工作顺利吗？ (Zuìjìn gōngzuò shùnlì ma?) — How’s work going, everything okay?
Appropriate for colleagues and partners.

3) Polite Basics: “Please,” “Thank You,” “Sorry”

“Please” — Several Options

请 (Qǐng) — please / kindly (formal, business-like).
Used before a request: 请帮我… — “Please help me…”
麻烦你… (Máfan nǐ…) — “Would you mind…” / “Would you be so kind…”
Very common and sounds natural.
Example: 麻烦你发一下地址。 — “Would you be so kind as to send the address.”
拜托了！ (Bàituō le!) — “I really beg you!”
More emotional and friendly.

“Thank You”

谢谢！ (Xièxie!) — Thank you.
非常感谢！ (Fēicháng gǎnxiè!) — Thank you very much (formal).
辛苦了！ (Xīnkǔ le!) — Thank you for your hard work / you’ve worked hard.
Often said to colleagues, couriers, contractors—when someone has really “sweated.”

“Sorry”

不好意思… (Bù hǎoyìsi…) — Sorry / excuse me…
The most universal, soft option. Often used as “sorry to bother you.”
对不起… (Duìbuqǐ…) — Sorry (stronger than 不好意思).
Closer to “I’m at fault.” For minor everyday situations, 不好意思 is more common.
抱歉… (Bàoqiàn…) — Sorry (more formal, written).
Suitable for business messages.

4) Address: How to Address People Correctly

In Chinese, it’s important to address people in a way that maintains respect and distance, especially at the beginning of communication.

The Safest Principle

Surname + Position/Status. If you don’t know the surname, use a neutral form.

At Work and in Business

王总 (Wáng zǒng) — “Mr. Wang, Director/Top Manager”
总 (zǒng) — a common address for leaders.
李经理 (Lǐ jīnglǐ) — “Manager Li.”
张老师 (Zhāng lǎoshī) — “Teacher/Mentor Zhang.”
老师 — a universally respectful address, not just for teachers.
师傅 (Shīfu) — “Master” (to a driver, craftsman, or someone providing a service).
Very appropriate in daily life: taxi driver, repairman, installer.

Neutral When Status Is Unknown

先生 (Xiānsheng) — Sir (polite, formal).
女士 (Nǚshì) — Madam (polite).
你好 + name (if the name is already known) — sufficient for correspondence.

Friendly Addresses (Use Carefully)

哥 / 姐 (gē / jiě) — “brother/sister” colloquially.
Suitable for closer communication, often in small businesses and daily life.
美女 / 帅哥 (měinǚ / shuàigē) — “beauty / handsome”
Common in service and shops, but use cautiously: only appropriate in very informal contexts.

5) Useful Polite Phrases for Correspondence (WeChat)

How to Start a Conversation with a Stranger

您好，我是___。
Nín hǎo, wǒ shì ___. — Hello, I am ___.
打扰一下…
Dǎrǎo yíxià… — Excuse me for interrupting…
想咨询一下…
Xiǎng zīxún yíxià… — I’d like to clarify / consult…

A combination that almost always sounds correct:

您好，打扰一下。我想咨询一下…
“Hello, excuse me for interrupting. I’d like to clarify…”

How to Ask for Something Politely and Briefly

麻烦你发一下___。 — Would you be so kind as to send ___.
请问可以___吗？ — May I ask, is it possible to ___?
方便的话，___。 (Fāngbiàn dehuà…) — If it’s convenient, ___.

How to End a Message

谢谢！ — Thank you!
感谢你的帮助！ — Thank you for your help!
辛苦了！ — Thank you for your work/effort.

6) Everyday Mini-Set: 20 Phrases Worth Learning

你好！ — Hello/Hi
您好！ — Hello (polite)
早上好！ — Good morning
下午好！ — Good afternoon
晚上好！ — Good evening
最近怎么样？ — How are things?
忙吗？ — Are you busy?
谢谢！ — Thank you
非常感谢！ — Thank you very much
辛苦了！ — Thank you for your hard work
不好意思… — Sorry…
抱歉… — I apologize (formal)
没关系。 — No problem
请… — Please / kindly
麻烦你… — Would you mind…
可以吗？ — Is it okay?
方便吗？ — Is it convenient?
好的。 — Okay
明白了。 — I understand
请多关照。 — I kindly ask for your support/assistance (polite, when meeting)

7) Common Beginner Mistakes (and How to Sound More Natural)

Using 对不起 everywhere.
For minor situations, 不好意思 is softer and more natural.
Writing long greetings in WeChat.
In China, it’s normal: “您好 + 1–2 lines about the matter.”
Not using 您 with clients/elders.
One letter changes the tone of the message. In business communication, 您 is a safe choice.
Addressing by name without context.
If you’re unsure, better 老师/经理/总 or neutrally “您好.”

Ready-Made Short Messages for WeChat (Copy-Paste)

1) Neutral to a Stranger

您好，打扰一下。我是___，想咨询一下___。谢谢！

2) To a Partner/Client

您好，麻烦您确认一下___。感谢！

3) To a Colleague

辛苦了！麻烦你把___发我一下。谢谢！

4) Friendly

嗨！最近怎么样？有空聊一下吗？