June 2022 – Page 11

2022-06-27

Which is the best season to travel in China?

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哪个季节最适合来中国旅游?
Nǎge jìjié zuì shìhé lái zhōngguó lǚyóu?
Which is the best season to travel in China?

大家都知道，中国的地域非常广，所以你可以在不同季节到中国的不同地区，去领略这个季节所带来的美景。
Dàjiā dōu zhīdào, zhōngguó de dìyù fēicháng guǎng, suǒyǐ nǐ kěyǐ zài bùtóng jìjié dào zhōngguó de bùtóng dìqū, qù lǐnglüè zhège jìjié suǒ dài lái de měijǐng.
Everybody knows that China is very large, so you can go to different regions of China in different seasons to appreciate the scenery in that season.

有一些地区，是四个季节都适宜来旅游的，比如说云南，广西还有海南岛。
Yǒu yīxiē dìqū, shì sì gè jìjié dōu shìyí lái lǚyóu de, bǐrú shuō Yúnnán, Guǎngxī hái yǒu Hǎinán dǎo.
Some areas are suitable to visit in all four seasons, such as Yunnan, Guangxi and Hainan island

如果是春天，很多地方气候都比较宜人。你可以去苏州或者杭州领略江南的景色。
Rúguǒ shì chūntiān, hěnduō dìfāng qìhòu dōu bǐjiào yírén. Nǐ kěyǐ qù Sūzhōu huòzhě Hángzhōu lǐnglüè jiāngnán de jǐngsè.
If it is in the Spring, a lot of places have a suitable climate. You could go to Suzhou or Hangzhou to appreciate the scenery south of the Yangtze River.

你也可以去成都看看可爱的大熊猫。
Nǐ yě kěyǐ qù chéngdū kànkan kě’ài de dà xióngmāo.
You could also go to Chengdu to see the cute pandas.

如果是夏天，你可以到中国的一些沿海城市去避暑，比如青岛，大连。
Rúguǒ shì xiàtiān, nǐ kěyǐ dào zhōngguó de yīxiē yánhǎi chéngshì qù bìshǔ, bǐrú Qīngdǎo, Dàlián.
If it is the summer, you could go to some of China’s coastal cities to escape the heat, like Qingdao or Dalian.

如果是秋天，比较适宜去中国的北方爬爬山，看看山间的树叶变红，那种美丽的景色。
Rúguǒ shì qiūtiān, bǐjiào shìyí qù zhōngguó de běifāng pá páshān, kànkan shān jiān de shùyè biàn hóng, nà zhǒng měilì de jǐngsè.
If is the Autumn, it is quite appropriate to go to north China to climb mountains, and look at the leaves in the mountains turning red,  pretty scenery like that.

到了冬天，你可以去中国东北的哈尔滨市，去看看冰灯节，看看那里白雪覆盖的世界。
Dàole dōngtiān, nǐ kěyǐ qù zhōngguó dōngběi de Hā’ěrbīn shì, qù kànkan bīngdēng jié, kànkan nàlǐ báixuě fùgài de shìjiè.
In the winter, you can go to Harbin in northeast China to see the ice lantern festival and look at the snow-covered world.

当然，那里的气温非常低，可能可以达到零下三十摄氏度，所以你一定要带好最厚的衣服。
Dāngrán, nàlǐ de qìwēn fēicháng dī, kěnéng kěyǐ dádào língxià sānshí shèshìdù, suǒyǐ nǐ yīdìng yào dàihǎo zuì hòu de yīfu.
Of course, the temperate there will be very low, maybe as slow as -30 degrees Celsius, so you must take your thickest clothes.

2022-06-27

What do Chinese people eat for breakfast?

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中国人早餐一般喜欢吃什么？
Zhōngguórén zǎocān yībān xǐhuān chī shénme?
What do Chinese people normally eat for breakfast?

早上中国人一般喜欢吃一些热的食物，比如说最受欢迎的粥类：
Zǎoshang zhōngguó rén yībān xǐhuān chī yīxiē rè de shíwù, bǐrú shuō zuì shòu huānyíng de zhōu lèi:
In the morning, Chinese people generally like to eat hot foods, such as porridge, which is the most popular:

大米粥，小米粥，熬得比较粘稠，早上吃会比较舒服。
dàmǐ zhōu, xiǎomǐ zhōu, áo dé bǐjiào niánchóu, zǎoshang chī huì bǐjiào shūfu.
rice porridge or millet porridge, thick, and nice to eat in the morning.

另外，大家也都会吃一些蛋白质的食品，像煮的鸡蛋或者煎鸡蛋。
Lìngwài, dàjiā yě doūhuì chī yīxiē dànbáizhí de shípǐn, xiàng zhǔ de jīdàn huòzhě jiān jīdàn.
In addition, people will also eat some food with protein, like boiled eggs or fried eggs.

主食也是必不可少的。最受欢迎的主食应该是包子，烧饼这一类的。
Zhǔshí yěshì bìbùkěshǎo de. Zuì shòuhuānyíng de zhǔshí yīnggāi shì bāozi, shāobǐng zhè yī lèi de
Staple foods are also essential. The most popular staple foods are stuffed buns and baked sesame-seed cakes etc.

豆浆，油条是非常搭配的一种吃法，也是非常受中国人欢迎的早餐种类。
Dòujiāng, yóutiáo shì fēicháng dāpèi de yī zhǒng chī fǎ, yěshì fēicháng shòu zhōngguórén huānyíng de zǎocān zhǒnglèi.
Soy milk and fried breadsticks are a very good match, and they are also a very popular kind of breakfast for Chinese people.

油条是用面做成的，把面和好之后拉成长长的一条，然后放在油里炸，炸出的油条松软，香脆，泡在豆浆里特别地好吃。
Yóutiáo shì yòng miàn zuò chéng de, bǎ miàn huóhǎo zhīhòu lā chángcháng de yītiáo, ránhòu fàng zài yóu lǐ zhà, zhà chū de yóutiáo sōngruǎn, xiāng cuì, pào zài dòujiāng lǐ tèbié de hào chī.
Fried breadsticks are made from flour. Knead the flour and pull it out into a long stick, then fry it in oil. The bread stick that comes out is soft and crispy. It tastes especially good in soy milk.

还有很多方便的中式早餐，是早上在上班的路上可以随手买到的，比如肉夹馍。
Hái yǒu hěnduō fāngbiàn de zhōngshì zǎocān, shì zǎoshang zài shàngbān de lùshàng kěyǐ suíshǒu mǎi dào de, bǐrú ròu jiā mó.
There are also a lot of convenient types of Chinese breakfasts  that can be bought on the way to work in the morning,  such as ‘roujiamo’.

肉夹馍又叫做中式汉堡，就是一个烤的热乎乎的烧饼，中间切开，加上剁好的猪肉末。
Ròujiāmó yòu jiàozuò zhōngshì hànbǎo, jiùshì yīgè kǎo de rèhūhū de shāobǐng, zhōngjiān qiē kāi, jiā shàng duò hǎo de zhūròu mò.
‘Roujiamo’ is also known as the ‘Chinese hamburger’. It is a hot, roasted bun. You cut it the middle, and put minced pork in it.

还有煎饼果子，是用面糊摊成一张薄薄的饼，上面打上鸡蛋，撒上葱花，香菜，卷起来吃的一种早餐。
Hái yǒu jiānbing guǒzi, shì yòng miànhú tānchéng yī zhāng báo báo de bǐng, shàngmiàn dǎshàng jīdàn, sǎ shàng cōnghuā, xiāngcài, juǎn qǐlái chī de yī zhǒng zǎocān.
There is also ‘Chinese pancake’. It’s a type of breakfast where you spread out batter into a thin pancake then crack an egg on top, and sprinkle on chopped green onion, coriander, and roll it up.

2022-06-26

20 Chinese Greetings That Will Make You Sound Like a Native

Table of Contents

Basic Chinese greetings

How to say hello in Chinese

1. 你好 (nǐ hǎo) – Hello

2. 您好 (nín hǎo) – Hello

How to say hi in Chinese

3. 嗨 (hāi) – Hi

4. 哈喽 (hā lou) – Hello

5. 嘿 (hēi) – Hey

Asking ‘How are you?’ in Chinese

6. 你好吗？ (nǐ hǎo ma) – How are you?

7. 吃了吗? (chī le ma?) – Have you eaten yet?

Good morning in Chinese

8. 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo) – Good Morning

9. 早 (zǎo) – Mornin’

Good afternoon in Chinese

10. 下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo) – Good Afternoon

Good evening in Chinese

11. 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo) – Good Evening

12. 喂 (wéi) – Hey

Keep studying with these resources

13. 好久不见 (hǎo jiǔ bu jiàn) – Long time no see

14. 最近你怎么样? (zuì jìn nǐ zěn me yàng) – How’s things?

15. 最近。。。 (zuì jìn) – …recently

16. 去哪呢？ (qù nǎ ne?) – Where are you going?

17. 干嘛呢？ (gàn má ne?) – What are you doing?

18. 大家好 (dà jiā hǎo) – Hello everyone

Meeting someone for the first time

19. 很高兴见到你。 (hěn gāo xìng jiàn dào nǐ) Nice to meet you.

20. 很高兴再次见到你。 (hěn gāo xìng zài cì jiàn dào nǐ) Nice to see you again.

When learning new languages, knowing how to say Hello or Hi is one of the first things we usually learn to say. Even if that’s the only word we can speak, most natives will be pleased to hear that you’ve made an effort to speak Chinese (or any language).

Get this post as a PDF to study it later!

We’ve put together a list of the most common Chinese greetings you should learn if you’re studying Mandarin. It’s helpful to know in which context to use these greetings and which ones will help you sound more fluent and natural.

Basic Chinese greetings

You’ll see that many of these greetings follow the same sentence pattern:

Noun + 好

How to say hello in Chinese

1. 你好 (nǐ hǎo) – Hello

You might have already come across the word 你好 (nǐ hǎo) or ‘Hello,’ in Chinese. While it is a common way to say ‘Hello’ in Mandarin, there are more casual phrases to use with friends instead. For many young Chinese people, 你好 (nǐ hǎo) is becoming less fashionable and is seen as too formal to be used between friends and colleagues.

CHINESE TIP:
If both words have the 3rd tone, change the first word to the second tone in spoken Chinese. Learn more about tone rules here.

2. 您好 (nín hǎo) – Hello

您 (nín) is used when addressing someone older or in a respected position, whether at work or in the family. So, 您好 is a more formal way to say ‘Hello.’

How to say hi in Chinese

The following three are more modern and commonly used ways to say hello between friends, colleagues, and classmates. All three of them have been translated using transliteration, replacing the original English word with a Chinese character that sounds the same or similar. This is often done with brands, place names, and people. These types of words are becoming more fashionable among younger people in China.

3. 嗨 (hāi) – Hi

4. 哈喽 (hā lou) – Hello

5. 嘿 (hēi) – Hey

Quickly go from beginner to native with Mandarin HQs unique video course. Learn from locals interviewed around China and perfect your spoken Chinese.

Asking ‘How are you?’ in Chinese

6. 你好吗？ (nǐ hǎo ma) – How are you?

It is literally translated to ‘You good?’ and is often taught to students as an essential Chinese phrase, but it’s rarely used nowadays. Even in English, when you think about it, we rarely ask ‘How are you?’, and it’s now similar amongst young Chinese.

7. 吃了吗? (chī le ma?) – Have you eaten yet?

Asking if someone has eaten yet is a more common way to ask ‘how are you?’. Showing concern for a friend or acquaintance’s health is common within Chinese culture. You will hear it most often spoken between neighbors within a garden during their evening walk after supper.

This phrase can sometimes be used to ask, ‘Do you have time?’, especially if you call during lunch or dinner time.

Good morning in Chinese

Unlike in English, where we can say ‘good morning’ for the whole morning, in Chinese, the morning is split into several time frames, from early morning to mid-morning.

早上好 is used between 6 and 9 am
上午好 refers to mid-morning, from 9 am-12 pm.

8. 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo) – Good Morning

早 (zǎo) actually refers to early morning and can be remembered as the sun 日 (rì) rising over a helmet. Originally, the 十 (shí) part of the character 早 (zǎo) was a helmet 甲 (jiǎ).

9. 早 (zǎo) – Mornin’

早 (zǎo), used on its own, is more often used as a shortened version of 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo), creating a more casual phrase, just like saying mornin’.

Good afternoon in Chinese

10. 下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo) – Good Afternoon

Just like with good morning, and good evening (to follow), the time phrase + 好 is how we can say Good [time of day]. Here, 下午 is afternoon. 午 is the character referring to ‘noon’ or midday, so combining 下 makes ‘after the noon’.

Good evening in Chinese

11. 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo) – Good Evening

晚 (wǎn), or 晚上 (wǎn shang) means evening or night. Combined with the character for good, 好 (hǎo) creates the greeting commonly used after sunset.

In Chinese, 晚上好 is still a greeting and not a way to say ‘goodnight’. To say goodnight in Chinese, use the phrase 晚安 (wǎn ān).

12. 喂 (wéi) – Hey

This word is only used to say ‘hello’, when on the phone.

Keep studying with these resources

13. 好久不见 (hǎo jiǔ bu jiàn) – Long time no see

This is a great phrase to use if you haven’t seen someone for a long time. If you break down the characters, you’ll see it’s a very literal translation. You can do this by clicking the character link above.

14. 最近你怎么样? (zuì jìn nǐ zěn me yàng) – How’s things?

This is an informal phrase, more like saying ‘what’s up?’ to a friend or colleague.

CHINESE TIP:
In spoken Chinese, you can omit the character 你 (nǐ).

15. 最近。。。 (zuì jìn) – …recently

最近 (zuì jìn) can be used to preface a greeting, to mean ‘since I saw you last’.

For example:

最近在干嘛？ (zuì jìn zài gàn má?) – What have you been doing recently?

最近干什么呢？ (zuì jìn gàn shén me ne?) – What were you doing recently?

最近忙什么呢？ (zuì jìn máng shén me ne?) – What have you been busy doing recently?

16. 去哪呢？ (qù nǎ ne?) – Where are you going?

This is often used as a pleasantry when passing an acquaintance or neighbor. It’s not really a question, just a greeting, which will have a short response.

17. 干嘛呢？ (gàn má ne?) – What are you doing?

When I first came to China, my impression of this phrase was that it was offhand and rude. Like, ‘what the heck are you doing?’ It is commonly used instead, as a greeting you would make to a colleague or friend.