In Chinese, not only the words matter but also how<\/em> 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\u2014and this affects how you are perceived.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u4f60\u597d\uff01<\/strong> (N\u01d0 h\u01ceo!)<\/em> \u2014 Hello \/ Hi. \u60a8\u597d\uff01<\/strong> (N\u00edn h\u01ceo!)<\/em> \u2014 Hello (polite). \u5927\u5bb6\u597d\uff01<\/strong> (D\u00e0ji\u0101 h\u01ceo!)<\/em> \u2014 Hello everyone. \u65e9\u4e0a\u597d\uff01<\/strong> (Z\u01ceoshang h\u01ceo!)<\/em> \u2014 Good morning.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u4e0a\u5348\u597d\uff01<\/strong> (Sh\u00e0ngw\u01d4 h\u01ceo!)<\/em> \u2014 Good morning (formal: «before noon»).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u4e0b\u5348\u597d\uff01<\/strong> (Xi\u00e0w\u01d4 h\u01ceo!)<\/em> \u2014 Good afternoon (after noon).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u665a\u4e0a\u597d\uff01<\/strong> (W\u01censhang h\u01ceo!)<\/em> \u2014 Good evening.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Important: In WeChat, greetings are often brief, without «good day,» especially in work chats. It\u2019s normal to write just \u60a8\u597d<\/strong> or \u4f60\u597d<\/strong> and get straight to the point.<\/p>\n In Russian, «how are you?» is almost automatic politeness. In Chinese, this exists too, but the phrases are slightly different.<\/p>\n \u4f60\u597d\u5417\uff1f<\/strong> (N\u01d0 h\u01ceo ma?)<\/em> \u2014 How are you? \u6700\u8fd1\u600e\u4e48\u6837\uff1f<\/strong> (Zu\u00ecj\u00ecn z\u011bnmey\u00e0ng?)<\/em> \u2014 How have things been lately? \u6700\u8fd1\u8fd8\u597d\u5417\uff1f<\/strong> (Zu\u00ecj\u00ecn h\u00e1i h\u01ceo ma?)<\/em> \u2014 Is everything going well? \u5fd9\u5417\uff1f<\/strong> (M\u00e1ng ma?)<\/em> \u2014 Are you busy? \u6700\u8fd1\u5de5\u4f5c\u987a\u5229\u5417\uff1f<\/strong> (Zu\u00ecj\u00ecn g\u014dngzu\u00f2 sh\u00f9nl\u00ec ma?)<\/em> \u2014 How\u2019s work going, everything okay? \u8bf7<\/strong> (Q\u01d0ng)<\/em> \u2014 please \/ kindly (formal, business-like). \u9ebb\u70e6\u4f60\u2026<\/strong> (M\u00e1fan n\u01d0\u2026)<\/em> \u2014 «Would you mind\u2026» \/ «Would you be so kind\u2026» \u62dc\u6258\u4e86\uff01<\/strong> (B\u00e0itu\u014d le!)<\/em> \u2014 «I really beg you!» \u8c22\u8c22\uff01<\/strong> (Xi\u00e8xie!)<\/em> \u2014 Thank you.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u975e\u5e38\u611f\u8c22\uff01<\/strong> (F\u0113ich\u00e1ng g\u01cenxi\u00e8!)<\/em> \u2014 Thank you very much (formal).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u8f9b\u82e6\u4e86\uff01<\/strong> (X\u012bnk\u01d4 le!)<\/em> \u2014 Thank you for your hard work \/ you\u2019ve worked hard. \u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d\u2026<\/strong> (B\u00f9 h\u01ceoy\u00ecsi\u2026)<\/em> \u2014 Sorry \/ excuse me\u2026 \u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77\u2026<\/strong> (Du\u00ecbuq\u01d0\u2026)<\/em> \u2014 Sorry (stronger than \u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d). \u62b1\u6b49\u2026<\/strong> (B\u00e0oqi\u00e0n\u2026)<\/em> \u2014 Sorry (more formal, written). In Chinese, it\u2019s important to address people in a way that maintains respect and distance, especially at the beginning of communication.<\/p>\n Surname + Position\/Status<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t know the surname, use a neutral form.<\/p>\n \u738b\u603b<\/strong> (W\u00e1ng z\u01d2ng)<\/em> \u2014 «Mr. Wang, Director\/Top Manager» \u674e\u7ecf\u7406<\/strong> (L\u01d0 j\u012bngl\u01d0)<\/em> \u2014 «Manager Li.»<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u5f20\u8001\u5e08<\/strong> (Zh\u0101ng l\u01ceosh\u012b)<\/em> \u2014 «Teacher\/Mentor Zhang.» \u5e08\u5085<\/strong> (Sh\u012bfu)<\/em> \u2014 «Master» (to a driver, craftsman, or someone providing a service). \u5148\u751f<\/strong> (Xi\u0101nsheng)<\/em> \u2014 Sir (polite, formal).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u5973\u58eb<\/strong> (N\u01dash\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 Madam (polite).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u4f60\u597d<\/strong> + name (if the name is already known) \u2014 sufficient for correspondence.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u54e5 \/ \u59d0<\/strong> (g\u0113 \/ ji\u011b)<\/em> \u2014 «brother\/sister» colloquially. \u7f8e\u5973 \/ \u5e05\u54e5<\/strong> (m\u011bin\u01da \/ shu\u00e0ig\u0113)<\/em> \u2014 «beauty \/ handsome» \u60a8\u597d\uff0c\u6211\u662f___\u3002<\/strong> \u6253\u6270\u4e00\u4e0b\u2026<\/strong> \u60f3\u54a8\u8be2\u4e00\u4e0b\u2026<\/strong> A combination that almost always sounds correct:<\/p>\n \u60a8\u597d\uff0c\u6253\u6270\u4e00\u4e0b\u3002\u6211\u60f3\u54a8\u8be2\u4e00\u4e0b\u2026<\/strong> \u9ebb\u70e6\u4f60\u53d1\u4e00\u4e0b___\u3002<\/strong> \u2014 Would you be so kind as to send ___.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u8bf7\u95ee\u53ef\u4ee5___\u5417\uff1f<\/strong> \u2014 May I ask, is it possible to ___?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u65b9\u4fbf\u7684\u8bdd\uff0c___\u3002<\/strong> (F\u0101ngbi\u00e0n dehu\u00e0\u2026)<\/em> \u2014 If it\u2019s convenient, ___.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u8c22\u8c22\uff01<\/strong> \u2014 Thank you!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u611f\u8c22\u4f60\u7684\u5e2e\u52a9\uff01<\/strong> \u2014 Thank you for your help!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u8f9b\u82e6\u4e86\uff01<\/strong> \u2014 Thank you for your work\/effort.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \u4f60\u597d\uff01 \u2014 Hello\/Hi<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u60a8\u597d\uff01 \u2014 Hello (polite)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u65e9\u4e0a\u597d\uff01 \u2014 Good morning<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u4e0b\u5348\u597d\uff01 \u2014 Good afternoon<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u665a\u4e0a\u597d\uff01 \u2014 Good evening<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u6700\u8fd1\u600e\u4e48\u6837\uff1f \u2014 How are things?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u5fd9\u5417\uff1f \u2014 Are you busy?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u8c22\u8c22\uff01 \u2014 Thank you<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u975e\u5e38\u611f\u8c22\uff01 \u2014 Thank you very much<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u8f9b\u82e6\u4e86\uff01 \u2014 Thank you for your hard work<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d\u2026 \u2014 Sorry\u2026<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u62b1\u6b49\u2026 \u2014 I apologize (formal)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u6ca1\u5173\u7cfb\u3002 \u2014 No problem<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u8bf7\u2026 \u2014 Please \/ kindly<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u9ebb\u70e6\u4f60\u2026 \u2014 Would you mind\u2026<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u53ef\u4ee5\u5417\uff1f \u2014 Is it okay?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u65b9\u4fbf\u5417\uff1f \u2014 Is it convenient?<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u597d\u7684\u3002 \u2014 Okay<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u660e\u767d\u4e86\u3002 \u2014 I understand<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u8bf7\u591a\u5173\u7167\u3002 \u2014 I kindly ask for your support\/assistance (polite, when meeting)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n Using \u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77 everywhere.<\/strong> Writing long greetings in WeChat.<\/strong> Not using \u60a8 with clients\/elders.<\/strong> Addressing by name without context.<\/strong> 1) Neutral to a Stranger<\/strong><\/p>\n \u60a8\u597d\uff0c\u6253\u6270\u4e00\u4e0b\u3002\u6211\u662f___\uff0c\u60f3\u54a8\u8be2\u4e00\u4e0b___\u3002\u8c22\u8c22\uff01<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n 2) To a Partner\/Client<\/strong><\/p>\n \u60a8\u597d\uff0c\u9ebb\u70e6\u60a8\u786e\u8ba4\u4e00\u4e0b___\u3002\u611f\u8c22\uff01<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n 3) To a Colleague<\/strong><\/p>\n \u8f9b\u82e6\u4e86\uff01\u9ebb\u70e6\u4f60\u628a___\u53d1\u6211\u4e00\u4e0b\u3002\u8c22\u8c22\uff01<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n 4) Friendly<\/strong><\/p>\n \u55e8\uff01\u6700\u8fd1\u600e\u4e48\u6837\uff1f\u6709\u7a7a\u804a\u4e00\u4e0b\u5417\uff1f<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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\u2014and this affects […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chinese-vocabulary-topics"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3355\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zhege.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n1) Basic Greetings: What to Say Most Often<\/h2>\n
Universal (Suitable Almost Always)<\/h3>\n
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The most neutral phrase. Suitable for almost everyone in correspondence.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Used when addressing elders, clients, partners, or teachers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Appropriate in a group, meeting, or presentation.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAt Work and in Business Settings<\/h3>\n
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\n2) How to Ask «How Are You» Without Sounding Strange<\/h2>\n
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Grammatically correct but sounds a bit «textbook» in real speech. Better to use the options below.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Very natural.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Soft and friendly.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Often in China, instead of «how are you?» people ask this, especially in business correspondence.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Appropriate for colleagues and partners.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n3) Polite Basics: «Please,» «Thank You,» «Sorry»<\/h2>\n
«Please» \u2014 Several Options<\/h3>\n
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Used before a request: \u8bf7\u5e2e\u6211\u2026<\/strong> \u2014 «Please help me\u2026»<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Very common and sounds natural.
Example: \u9ebb\u70e6\u4f60\u53d1\u4e00\u4e0b\u5730\u5740\u3002<\/strong> \u2014 «Would you be so kind as to send the address.»<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
More emotional and friendly.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n«Thank You»<\/h3>\n
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Often said to colleagues, couriers, contractors\u2014when someone has really «sweated.»<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n«Sorry»<\/h3>\n
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The most universal, soft option. Often used as «sorry to bother you.»<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Closer to «I\u2019m at fault.» For minor everyday situations, \u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d<\/strong> is more common.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Suitable for business messages.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n4) Address: How to Address People Correctly<\/h2>\n
The Safest Principle<\/h3>\n
At Work and in Business<\/h4>\n
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\u603b<\/strong> (z\u01d2ng) \u2014 a common address for leaders.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\u8001\u5e08<\/strong> \u2014 a universally respectful address, not just for teachers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Very appropriate in daily life: taxi driver, repairman, installer.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nNeutral When Status Is Unknown<\/h4>\n
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Friendly Addresses (Use Carefully)<\/h3>\n
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Suitable for closer communication, often in small businesses and daily life.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Common in service and shops, but use cautiously: only appropriate in very informal contexts.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n5) Useful Polite Phrases for Correspondence (WeChat)<\/h2>\n
How to Start a Conversation with a Stranger<\/h3>\n
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N\u00edn h\u01ceo, w\u01d2 sh\u00ec ___.<\/em> \u2014 Hello, I am ___.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
D\u01cer\u01ceo y\u00edxi\u00e0\u2026<\/em> \u2014 Excuse me for interrupting\u2026<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Xi\u01ceng z\u012bx\u00fan y\u00edxi\u00e0\u2026<\/em> \u2014 I\u2019d like to clarify \/ consult\u2026<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
«Hello, excuse me for interrupting. I\u2019d like to clarify\u2026»<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHow to Ask for Something Politely and Briefly<\/h3>\n
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How to End a Message<\/h3>\n
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\n6) Everyday Mini-Set: 20 Phrases Worth Learning<\/h2>\n
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\n7) Common Beginner Mistakes (and How to Sound More Natural)<\/h2>\n
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For minor situations, \u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d<\/strong> is softer and more natural.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
In China, it\u2019s normal: «\u60a8\u597d + 1\u20132 lines about the matter.»<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
One letter changes the tone of the message. In business communication, \u60a8<\/strong> is a safe choice.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
If you\u2019re unsure, better \u8001\u5e08\/\u7ecf\u7406\/\u603b<\/strong> or neutrally «\u60a8\u597d.»<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
\nReady-Made Short Messages for WeChat (Copy-Paste)<\/h2>\n
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