How to say “how are you?” in Chinese
How to say “how are you?” in Chinese? If you are greeting someone, “How are you?” are the first word out from you. In Mandarin Chinese, there are so many different ways to express “how are you”. Here are several ways.
Asking indirectly how are you
In Chinese, many times there are some small questions to ask how someone is.
Examples about direction are:
- 出去啊? Chūqù ā? (Are you going?)
- 你去哪儿? Nǐ qù nǎr? (Where are you going?)
Or asking if someone already ate:
- 去吃饭啊?! Qù chīfàn a?! (Are you going to eat?)
- 吃了没? Chīle méi? (Did you eat dinner/lunch/breakfast?)
Or about activities:
- 散步呢?! Sànbù ne! (Going for a walk?)
- 锻炼呢?! Duànliàn ne?! (Did you exercise?)
- 买菜啊?! Mǎicài a?! (Are you out to buy food?)
- 下班啦?! Xiàbān la?! (Are you off work?)
Or a general purpose:
- 你怎么样? Nǐ zěnme yàng? (How are you?)
These are all super colloquial spoken Chinese language.
Why so many questions?!
“Did you eat?”, “Are you going to buy food?” This sounds weird, right? If someone says these to you when you are meeting. However, if you hear Chinese people say these when you see each other, don’t blame them for being impolite, or think they’re invading your privacy.
It’s just one of the main ways how Chinese greet people. They ask an obvious or a specific question but don’t want to know the real answer. What they asked only has one meaning: “how are you?”. There is no difference in the basic functions of greetings in Chinese and English. They both mean “I saw you, I didn’t ignore you”, and they are both expressions of willingness to communicate with each other.
Should you answer all these questions?
Usually, a greeting is a short dialogue between speakers.
- Q: 你吃了吗? Nǐ chī le ma? (Have you eaten?)
- A: 对 Duì (Yes.), or 还没呢 Hái méi ne (Not yet)
You don’t need to answer with:
- 嗯,我吃了米饭和玉米,牛肉,还有一杯茶,你呢?
- Èn, wǒ chīle mǐfàn hé yùmǐ, niúròu, háiyǒu yìbēi chá, nǐ ne?
- Yep, I have eaten rice, corn, beef, and a cup of tea. How about you?
The function of greeting is for communicating. So the response is up to you. Just take it casually!
If you want to share your information, you can have a little chat with Chinese people. For example, Jove is buying some food in the supermarket. Her Chinese colleague is greeting her:
- 买菜呢?! Mǎi cài ne?! (Are you buying food?)
Jove can say:
- 是的,买点肉回家炖红烧肉吃
- Shìde, mǎidiǎn ròu huíjiā dùn Hóngshāoròu chī
- Yes, I want to buy some pork to make pork stew
If today Jove is busy, she doesn’t want to talk, she can smile and just reply:
- 对啊/是啊 Duìa/shìa (Yes)
And continue to pick her food.
Why are Chinese greetings like this?
Some scholars think these questions show interpersonal relations and expressions of people’s feelings. Chinese greetings are often composed of questions and answers containing information, and most of them involve other people’s daily life, giving people a sense of kindness and concern. The expression of concern is one of the most prominent characteristics of politeness in Chinese culture, so it is very rich in content.
Reference: 毕继万.(1997).汉英招呼语的差异. 语文建设(02), doi:10.16412/j.cnki.1001-8476.1997.02.006.
Normal meet-and-greet way in China
People have the same understanding of things, so Chinese also use some universal ways to meet and greet each other:
- 最近怎么样? Zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? How are you doing recently?
- 最近好吗?Zuìjìn hǎo ma? Recently ok?
- 最近还好吧? Zuìjìn hái hǎo ma? Recently doing alright?
If you are walking on the street, sometimes you will find Chinese also call your name, nod, or smile to greet you. Your Chinese friend may stop you and wave their hand saying “Jove!”. Maybe you will stop and ask each other:
- 好久不见! Hǎojiǔ bú jiàn! (Long time no see!)
- 最近怎么样? Zuìjin zěnmeyàng? (How are you recently?)
the answer is the same with English, can be :
- 不错! Búcuò (not bad)
- 挺好 Tínghǎo (fine)
Video
In conclusion, there are two ways to meet and greet. Simple questions like “吃了吗? Chīle ma?”, and “最近怎么样? Zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?)”. So don’t be afraid when the Chinese people greet you in a different way. Just reply whatever comes naturally!