In Chinese, “你好” (nǐ hǎo) is not exactly the same as “hello” in English. It’s generally used for first-time meetings or in more formal situations. Unlike in English-speaking cultures where we say “hello” every day, Chinese people don’t typically greet family, friends, classmates, or colleagues with “你好” on a daily basis, as it can create a sense of distance or formality.
For people you already know, there are two common greeting patterns:
1. Title/Role + 好
Use the person’s title or role followed by 好. For example, students greet teachers by saying “老师好” (lǎoshī hǎo – “Hello, teacher”).
2. Time of Day + 好
Use the time of day followed by 好. For example, when arriving at the office in the morning, you might greet colleagues with “早上好” (zǎoshang hǎo) or simply “早” (zǎo – a more casual “morning!”).
3. Combination: Title + Time
You can also combine both patterns, such as “早上好，李经理” (zǎoshang hǎo, Lǐ jīnglǐ – “Good morning, Manager Li”).
你好！
Nǐhǎo!
你好! yougood
Hello! (Note: 你 is pronounced as 2nd tone (ní) instead of 3rd tone (nǐ) when followed by another 3rd tone.)
您好！
Nínhǎo!
您好! you (formal)good
Hello! (formal)
你们好！
Nǐmenhǎo!
你们好! you (plural)good
Hello! (to multiple people)
大家好！
Dàjiāhǎo!
大家好! everyonegood
Hello everyone!
老师好！
Lǎoshīhǎo!
老师好! teachergood
Hello teacher!
同学们好！
Tóngxuémenhǎo!
同学们好! classmatesgood
Hello classmates!
经理好！
Jīnglǐhǎo!
经理好! managergood
Hello manager!
李小姐好！
Lǐxiǎojiěhǎo!
李小姐好! LiMissgood
Hello Miss Li!
李先生好！
Lǐxiānshenghǎo!
李先生好! LiMr.good
Hello Mr. Li!
早上好！/早！
Zǎoshanghǎo! / Zǎo!
早上好! / 早! morninggood / early
Good morning! (Note: 早 is a more casual way to say good morning.)
上午好！
Shàngwǔhǎo!
上午好! morning (before noon)good
Good morning!
中午好！
Zhōngwǔhǎo!
中午好! noongood
Good noon! / Hello at noon!
下午好！
Xiàwǔhǎo!
下午好! afternoongood
Good afternoon!
晚上好！
Wǎnshanghǎo!
晚上好! eveninggood
Good evening!
晚安！
Wǎnān!
晚安! evening/nightpeaceful
Good night!
好久不见！
Hǎojiǔbùjiàn!
好久不见! for a long timenotsee
Long time no see!
你吃了吗？
Nǐchīlema?
你吃了吗? youeat(perfective)(question)
Have you eaten? (A casual greeting around mealtimes showing care.)
对不起。
Duìbuqǐ.
对不起. sorry
Sorry. / I’m sorry. (Used for more serious apologies.)
不好意思。
Bù hǎoyìsi.
不好意思. embarrassed / sorry
Excuse me. / Sorry. (More casual, used for minor inconveniences.)
没关系。
Méiguānxi.
没关系. not haverelationship / matter
It’s okay. / No problem.
没事。
Méishì.
没事. not havematter / thing
It’s nothing. / No problem.
Part 2: Vocabulary by Parts of Speech 词汇表按词性分类
名词 Nouns
老师 lǎoshī – teacher
同学们 tóngxuémen – classmates
经理 jīnglǐ – manager
小姐 xiǎojiě – Miss
先生 xiānsheng – Mr.
早上 zǎoshang – morning
上午 shàngwǔ – morning (before noon)
中午 zhōngwǔ – noon
下午 xiàwǔ – afternoon
晚上 wǎnshang – evening
晚 wǎn – evening/night
关系 guānxi – relationship / matter
事 shì – matter / thing
动词 Verbs
见 jiàn – see / meet
吃 chī – eat
对不起 duìbuqǐ – sorry
形容词 Adjectives
好 hǎo – good
早 zǎo – early
安 ān – peaceful
不好意思 bù hǎoyìsi – embarrassed / sorry
代词 Pronouns
你 nǐ – you
您 nín – you (formal)
你们 nǐmen – you (plural)
大家 dàjiā – everyone
副词 Adverbs
好久 hǎojiǔ – for a long time
不 bù – not
没 méi – not have
Part 3: Exercises 练习
1. 当你早上见到老师时，你应该说什么？
What should you say when you meet your teacher in the morning?
A. 老师早上好！Teacher, good morning!
B. 晚安！Good night!
C. 对不起。Sorry.
D. 没关系。It’s okay.
2. “您好”比”你好”更_______。
“您好” is more _______ than “你好”.
A. 随意 casual
B. 简单 simple
C. 正式 formal
D. 困难 difficult
3. 当别人对你说”对不起”时，你应该回答：
When someone says “对不起” to you, you should respond:
A. 你好！Hello!
B. 没关系。It’s okay.
C. 你们好！Hello! (plural)
D. 好久不见！Long time no see!
4. “你吃了吗？”这句话在中文里是：
The phrase “你吃了吗？” in Chinese is:
A. 饭点的问候 A greeting around mealtimes
B. 一种道歉的方式 A way to apologize
C. 晚上的问候语 An evening greeting
D. 你真的想知道对方吃了没有 You really want to know if they have eaten
5. 当你很久没见到朋友时，你可以说：
When you haven’t seen a friend for a long time, you can say:
