無恙乎
wú yàng hū
Old Chinese had no single word like "hello". The attested way to greet someone was to ask after their well-being: 無恙乎 (wú yàng hū), "are you without trouble?" It is also called 揖 (yī).
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Old Chinese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 無恙乎 | wú yàng hū | |
| 揖 | yī | bow |
The question appears in Warring States texts when envoys and acquaintances meet. A formal bow with joined hands, 揖 (yī), went with it.
What does it mean word for word?
無 means "without", 恙 means "illness, trouble" and 乎 marks a question.
Which one should you use?
Modern Mandarin 你好 (nǐ hǎo) is a much later greeting and does not appear in ancient texts.
How do you pronounce it?
The pinyin gives the modern Mandarin reading, wú yàng hū. How the words sounded in antiquity is known only from scholarly reconstruction.
Did you know?
- In the Zhanguo ce, the Queen Dowager of Zhao asks a visiting envoy about the harvest and the people before asking about his king, and the envoy is displeased by the order of her greetings.
Examples in context
- 歲亦無恙耶？民亦無恙耶？王亦無恙耶？suì yì wú yàng yé? mín yì wú yàng yé? wáng yì wú yàng yé?Is the harvest well? Are the people well? Is the king well? (Zhanguo ce)
- 子之君無恙乎？zǐ zhī jūn wú yàng hū?Is your lord well? (Shuoyuan)
