Lesson 002: Notes
Choose a mode: [Pinyin ] [Simplified] [Traditional ] [English]
Greetings:
The literal translation is “you good”. Many adjectives in Chinese also function as verbs. So here, “good” also functions as “to be good”.
This is asked more seriously than in English, where we casually ask “how are you?” It is usually asked of people you haven’t seen for a long time.
The hěn has a lighter meaning than “very” in English, so here, hěn hǎo could mean “pretty good.”
Pronoun summary:
Note: while the pronunciation of tā for he and she is the same, when written there are separate characters for he (他) and she(她).
Note: When the same character is repeated as in the above example, the second one frequently adopts a neutral tone
The literal meaning is “again meet” or see you again (later)
Culture Note: When greeting someone in China, it is common to bow your head. For formal occasions, they will also shake hands as in the West. When businessmen meet it is obligatory to exchange business cards.
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