姐姐好
jiějie hǎo
The English phrase "hi sister" can be said in Chinese as 姐姐好 (jiějie hǎo).
姐姐好 is a polite greeting used when speaking to an older sister or a woman who is slightly older than the speaker. This greeting is used even if you are not biologically related to the woman.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 姐姐 (jiějie), meaning 'older sister' and 好 (hǎo), meaning 'good'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
姐姐好 is a complete and polite way to greet someone. In very casual settings, one might shorten the title to just 姐 (jiě) when greeting someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase follows a common Chinese greeting pattern where the person being addressed is placed before the word 好 (hǎo).
How do you pronounce it?
jiějie hǎo
Did you know?
- Using 姐姐 (jiějie) to address a woman who is actually older than you can be seen as a compliment, as it suggests she looks youthful enough to be a sister rather than an aunt.
- Using the term 姐姐 can actually be a way to flirt or show romantic interest in certain modern social contexts, depending on the tone and setting.
- In certain dialects or casual street slang, calling a woman 姐 (jiě) can imply she is a 'big sister' figure in the sense of being a powerful or influential boss.
Examples in context
- 嘿，姐！好久不见。Hey, sis! Long time no see.
- 姊姊好！Hello, sister!
- 姐姐好。Jiějie hǎo.Hi, sister.
- 张姐姐好。Zhāng jiějie hǎo.Hello, Sister Zhang.
Example conversation
Junjie greets his older female cousin at a family gathering.
- 俊杰 Junjie姐姐好！好久不见。Jiějiě hǎo! Hǎojiǔ bùjiàn.Hi sister! Long time no see.
- 佳怡 Jiayi俊杰好，你长高了！Jùnjié hǎo, nǐ zhǎng gāo le!Hi Junjie, you've grown taller!
- 俊杰 Junjie谢谢姐姐。Xièxiè jiějiě.Thank you, sister.
- 佳怡 Jiayi快进来坐吧。Kuài jìnlai zuò ba.Come in and have a seat.
