How to Say "Be Nice" in Mandarin

友善点

you shan dian

In Mandarin, "be nice" is expressed as 友善点 (you shan dian).

If you want to specifically express the idea of "be good to others" among friends or acquaintances, you might use the phrase 对别人好.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of 友善, which means friendly or kind

友善点 focuses on outward friendliness or a kind attitude. This differs from 善良, which is used to describe a person's innate moral goodness.

In Mandarin, adding 点 after an adjective is a common way to form an imperative, meaning "be more [adjective]".

you shan dian

The character 友 in 友善 is a pictograph that originally depicted two hands joined together, symbolizing mutual support and friendship.
In some Chinese dialects, being 'too nice' (太善良) can be viewed as a weakness or a lack of discernment, rather than an absolute virtue.
The character 善 in 友善 can also mean 'skilled' or 'good at' something, creating a linguistic link between being a good person and being competent.

友善点。
Be nice.
This sentence is useful for practicing the imperative form 友善点.
Tatoeba #5092663 by mirrorvan, translation #1916314 by CK
请友好对待所有客户。
Please be nice to all the customers.
请友善对待他人，尤其是那些需要帮助的人。
Please be kind to others, especially those who need help.
无论在哪里，我们都应该对人友善。
Wherever we are, we should always be kind to others.
记得对别人好，不要只想着自己。
Remember to be good to others, don't just think about yourself.
对待同事要友善点。
Duìdài tóngshì yào yǒushàn diǎn.
Be nice to your colleagues.
对小动物也要友善点。
Duì xiǎodòngwù yě yào yǒushàn diǎn.
You should also be nice to small animals.

Wei is being grumpy toward Yuting.

伟 Wei

我现在不想说话。
Wǒ xiànzài bù xiǎng shuōhuà.
I don't want to talk right now.
雨婷 Yuting

你怎么这样？友善点吧。
Nǐ zěnme zhèyàng? Yǒushàn diǎn ba.
Why are you being like this? Be nice.
伟 Wei

对不起，我今天心情不好。
Duìbùqǐ, wǒ jīntiān xīnqíng bù hǎo.
Sorry, I'm in a bad mood today.
雨婷 Yuting

没关系，你休息一下。
Méiguānxì, nǐ xiūxí yīxià.
It's okay, take a break.

Sources

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