Lesson 002: Notes

Greetings:

hǎo

The literal translation is “you good”. Many adjectives in Chinese also function as verbs. So here, “good” also functions as “to be good”.

Hǎo

hǎo ma?

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.

hěn hǎo

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 for he and she is the same, when written there are separate characters for he (他) and she(她).

hǎo ma?

hěn hǎo

Xièxie

Xièxie

Note: When the same character is repeated as in the above example, the second one frequently adopts a neutral tone

Zàijiàn

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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