What does it mean word for word?
The word 问候 is composed of 问, which means to ask and 候, which means to visit or attend to.
Which one should you use?
While 问候 refers to the concept of greetings or the act of greeting, 你好 is the standard, everyday way to actually say "hello" to someone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
问候 is a formal term and is rarely used as a spontaneous spoken exclamation like "Greetings!" in English. It is more common in letters, speeches or describing the act of greeting.
How do you pronounce it?
wènhòu
When do people say it?
In Chinese culture, it is customary to greet older people or those of higher status before others. To demonstrate respect, you can add the word Lǎoshī (teacher) before a greeting. For specific times of day, you might use the formal greetings Zǎo shàng hǎo (Good morning) or Wǎn shàng hǎo (Good evening). For an informal "How are you?", you can use Nǐ zěnme yàng?
Did you know?
- While 问候 is the formal term for 'greetings', a common way to greet someone in China is to ask 你吃了吗 which means 'Have you eaten?' This serves as a social greeting rather than a literal inquiry about a meal.
- In very formal or historical contexts, greetings were once performed using the 拱手 gesture, where one fist is wrapped in the other hand. This symbolized peace by showing the speaker was not holding a weapon.
- The character 问 in 问候 contains the radical for 'door' 门. This visually represents the act of asking or greeting someone by calling out through a doorway.
Examples in context
- 请接受我最诚挚的问候。Qǐng jiēshòu wǒ zuì chéngzhì de wènhòu.Please accept my most sincere greetings.
- 他在信中表达了问候。Tā zài xìn zhōng biǎodále wènhòu.He expressed greetings in the letter.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Yuting are at a business conference.
- 志强 Zhiqiang雨婷，我想向经理表示问候。Yǔtíng, wǒ xiǎng xiàng jīnglǐ biǎoshì wènhòu.Yuting, I would like to give my greetings to the manager.
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，志强，请跟我来。Hǎo de, Zhìqiáng, qǐng gēn wǒ lái.Okay, Zhiqiang, please follow me.
- 志强 Zhiqiang谢谢你，这样很有礼貌。Xièxie nǐ, zhèyàng hěn yǒu lǐmào.Thank you, this is very polite.
- 雨婷 Yuting这是我的职责。Zhè shì wǒ de zhízé.This is my duty.
