How do you do Mr Wang?

Ní hao Wáng xian sheng?

ni [n + be] you; 2nd personal singular

hao [how] good; well; fine; OK

ní hao (lit. you good) hello; how are you; how do you do?

This is the most common form of greeting in China today. It can also be used as the response. You should be aware that this is an instance of one of the most common tone changes — where two third tones appear together the first becomes a second tone with no change to the meaning. Many examples follow. You can say:

Ní hao ma?

Ma is unstressed; similar to the unstressed first syllable in mature. Used at the end of a sentence this is one of the most common ways to create a question. Ma is one of a number of sound particles used in Chinese that have no inherent meaning by themselves. For example you can say:

Hao ma?OK? All right?; Shall we?

By adding the particle men [m + open] you create a plural, such as ni men. Note that this syllable is unstressed. Men is one of the few language particles in Chinese that cannot be used alone. It can only be added to certain nouns referring to persons when no definite number is mentioned, for example:

péng [up + sing] you [yoh] men friends

tóng [toong] zhì [jr] men comrades

A polite version of ni is nín. This may be used by a guest to a host or when addressing someone older or in a position of authority to show respect. This form of address may be used by you as a visitor or guest, as in nín hao ma. In China today this polite usage has re-emerged.

A general response to nín hao ma? can be:

Hen hao xiè xie Very well, thank you.

hen [h + open] very; quite. Always precedes an adjective. It is slightly weaker than 'very' in English and often does not add much to the meaning.

xiè xie [She + yeh as one syllable sounds a little like the English 'share'] thank you. The second syllable is unstressed.

Xiè xie is an example of a word which is devised of a repetition of one sound. This is a feature of the Chinese language. Many examples are given in this book.

Related Expressions

Qian xiè wàn xiè I cannot thank you enough! (lit. a thousand thanks)

qian [chi + any] one thousand

wàn [one] ten thousand

Wéi [w + may] hello; hey there! (Used on the telephone or to attract someone's attention.)

Ni zhen hao How good of you; You're really good.

zhen [djen] true; real

Hao jí le That's delightful; I'd be delighted.

Jí [gee] le (l + her) Used to register an extreme and can be used after many adjectives.

Wáng [w + hung] This is a common surname, often rendered in English as Wong. It is a small but appreciated courtesy to pronounce correctly the name of the person you are speaking to (A full list of common surnames is at Appendix A).

Note that there is a general preference in Chinese for an order of precedence to be established and what is considered the most important will be expressed first. In the case of Ní hao Wáng xian sheng the surname precedes the title. While there are many similar examples at the purely linguistic level it is useful to keep this in mind as a general expression of Chinese pragmatism — first things first! In keeping with this principle the above sentence can also be expressed as:

Wáng xian sheng ní hao ma?

xian [see + any] sheng [sh + her + sing] Mr; sir (lit. first born).

It is used in direct address to follow surnames. This can be used to mean 'gentleman' or 'my husband'. Note that sheng is unstressed here. The plural is:

Xian sheng men gentlemen (plural)

You may hear the term xian sheng used very occasionally as a title referring to a woman in which case it is an extremely respectful term for a distinguished person, for example, a university professor.

Proverb

A quote from Confucius (551–479 BC) that is part of his account of his gradual progress and attainment of wisdom. The full quote puts this into context:

At fifteen, I set my mind on learning.

At thirty, I took my stand.

At forty, I had no doubts.

At fifty, I knew the will of Heaven.

At sixty, my ear was attuned.

At seventy, I follow all the desires of my heart without breaking any rules. (Analects: 2.4.; Leys trans.)

The Analects comprise of responses Confucius provided to his 72 disciples who toured the countryside with him during the turbulent times of the Warring States period. Originally reviled by the Communist Party and progressive thinkers, the reputation of China's foremost sage has undergone a remarkable revival in recent years and his works that articulate a secular humanist ethical tradition are at the forefront of a popular resurgence of interest in China's classical literary heritage. Modern editions of this venerable text are widely available in most bookshops and a recent commentary from a...