你好，谢谢
nǐ hǎo, xièxie
In Chinese, "hello and thank you" is expressed as 你好，谢谢 (nǐ hǎo, xièxie).
This phrase combines a standard greeting with an expression of gratitude. While 你好，谢谢 is a general way to say hello and thank you, you might use time-specific greetings such as 早上好 (good morning), 下午好 (good afternoon) or 晚上好 (good evening) depending on the time of day.
What does it mean word for word?
The greeting part, 你好, consists of 你, meaning "you" and 好, meaning "good".
How does it change in a sentence?
To address elders or superiors with more respect, you can replace the word 你 in the greeting with the polite form 您, resulting in 您好，谢谢.
How do you pronounce it?
nǐ hǎo, xièxie
Did you know?
- The character 好 in 你好 is composed of the radicals for 'woman' and 'child', reflecting an ancient cultural view that having both was the definition of 'good'.
- In many parts of China, a more common way to say 'hello' is actually to ask if you have eaten, using the phrase 吃了吗 ('Have you eaten?').
- While 谢谢 means 'thank you', saying it too frequently to close family or very close friends can actually be seen as creating distance or being cold.
Examples in context
- 你好，谢谢。Nǐ hǎo, xièxie.Hello, thank you.
- 你好，谢谢你的礼物。Nǐ hǎo, xièxie nǐ de lǐwù.Hello, thank you for your gift.
- 你好，谢谢你的帮助。Nǐ hǎo, xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù.Hello, thank you for your help.
Example conversation
Jiayi is receiving a package from Zhiqiang.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你好，谢谢你帮我拿快递。Nǐhǎo, xièxie nǐ bāng wǒ ná kuàidì.Hello, and thank you for picking up my package.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没关系，不用客气。Méiguānxì, bùyòng kèqì.It's okay, you're welcome.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你太客气了，志强。Nǐ tài kèqì le, Zhìqiáng.You are too kind, Zhiqiang.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没事，佳怡。Méishì, Jiāyí.It's nothing, Jiayi.
