Greetings in Mandarin Chinese

The Mandarin Chinese language presents certain particular characteristics. To learn some of the greetings, you need to know the following:

• Pinyin : is the alphabet used to transcribe Mandarin Chinese. The characters and tones of the language are expressed in pinyin to facilitate the understanding and pronunciation of the language. It is generally used in teaching young children in China and in teaching aids for foreign students.
• Tones – Mandarin Chinese uses different tones. The same word, with a different tone, can change its meaning. Therefore, the identification of tones, their differentiation and their correct pronunciation are essential in learning Mandarin Chinese. The first tone is a high sound. The second tone is a rising sound that begins with a low tone and ends with a higher tone. The third tone starts with a neutral tone, then goes down, and finally ends at a higher tone. The fourth tone, starts from a high tone and drops steeply.
• Bow : it is important to accompany the greeting by making a small bow. To do this, you must lean your torso forward, about 45 °.

How to say “good morning” in Mandarin Chinese

Keeping the above concepts in mind, let us now see how we can say some greetings in Mandarin Chinese. “Good morning” can be said in three ways. Each one is expressed first in Chinese characters and then its corresponding transcription, in pinyin:

► 早(zǎo)
► 早安(zǎo ān)
早上好 (zǎo shàng hǎo)

Meaning of 早 (Zǎo)

早 (Zǎo) is a noun meaning “early” or “morning.” The character 早 (Zǎo) also has other meanings. It is formed by the characters 日 (rì), which means “sun” and 十, which comes from 甲 (jiǎ), and means “first” or “armor”. Therefore, the literal translation of 早 (Zǎo) is: “first sun”.

Meaning of 早安 (zǎo ān)

早安 (zǎo ān) is also used to say “good morning”. This greeting is the union of 早 (Zǎo) «morning» and 安 (ān), which means «peace». The literal translation would be: “morning of peace” or “morning peace”.

Meaning of 早上好 (zǎo shàng hǎo)

This greeting is a more formal way to say “good morning.” It is made up of three characters: 早 (Zǎo), “tomorrow”; 上 (shàng) “up”; and 好 (Hǎo), which means “good.” The characters 早 (Zǎo), “morning” and 上 (shàng) “up” make up the expression meaning “early in the morning”. Therefore, the literal translation of 早上好 (zǎo shàng hǎo) is “good morning in the morning”.

These three variants of greetings can be used to say “good morning” until approximately 10 o’clock. in the morning.

How to say “good night” in Mandarin Chinese

To say “good night” in Mandarin Chinese, we can use the phrases:

• 晚上好 (wǎn shàng hǎo)
• 晚安 (wǎnān)

Meaning of 晚上好 (wǎn shàng hǎo)

This phrase is composed of 晚 (wǎn) which in turn is the union of the characters 日 (rì), “sol” and 免 (miǎn) “free” or “absolver”. Therefore, its meaning would be “free of sun”. Together with the characters 上 (shàng) «up» and 好 (hǎo) «good», the literal meaning of this expression is: «good night». It can also be used to say “good afternoon.”

Meaning of 晚安 (wǎn ān)

Unlike the “good morning” greeting 早安 (zǎo ān), 晚安 (wǎn ān) is used as a farewell or greeting before going to sleep. It is formed by 晚 (wǎn) «free» and 安 (ān) «peace».

The “good night” greetings are used between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Other greetings in Mandarin Chinese

In addition to good morning and good night greetings, there are other Mandarin Chinese greetings. Some of them are:

• 你好 (nǐ hǎo) = hello
• 欢迎 (huān yíng) = welcome
• 大家好 (dà jiā hǎo) = hello everyone
• 下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo) = good afternoon
• 明天见 (ming tian jian) = see you tomorrow
• 再见 (zài jiàn) = goodbye , see you soon

Bibliography

• Liu, X. The new book of practical Chinese vol.1. (2008). China. Beijing Language & Culture University Press.
• Lan, S.; Villacampa, V. Chineasy. Expressions for everyday life: The easy and fun way to learn Chinese. (2016). Spain. Lunwerg Publishers.
• Fan, I. Mandarin Chinese Manual. initial level. (2017). Spain. Editorial Cooperation.