欢迎
huānyíng
The Chinese phrase 欢迎 (huānyíng) means welcome.
欢迎 is a greeting used to make someone feel glad and accepted when they arrive at a place. While it can be used as a standalone greeting, it is most commonly used as a verb within a sentence to welcome someone to a specific event or place.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of two parts: 欢 (huān), which means joy or happiness and 迎 (yíng), which means to meet or to welcome.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'welcome to [place]', you can use the structure 欢迎来 (huānyíng lái) followed by the location.
How do you pronounce it?
huānyíng
Did you know?
- While 欢迎 is used to greet guests, the word for 'welcome' in the sense of 'you are welcome' after 'thank you' is completely different, typically 不客气 (bú kèqi).
- If you are welcoming a guest to a hotel or a formal establishment, you might see the more formal term 欢迎光临 (huānyíng guānglín) displayed, which adds a layer of respect by suggesting the guest's presence 'brings light' to the venue.
- The character 迎 (yíng) in 欢迎 originally depicted a hand reaching out to meet someone, reflecting an ancient custom of physically escorting guests from the city gates to the home.
Examples in context
- 欢迎来到北京。Huānyíng lái dào Běijīng.Welcome to Beijing.
- 欢迎来到我们的家。Huānyíng lái dào wǒmen de jiā.Welcome to our home.
- 欢迎光临！Huānyíng guānglín!Welcome!
Example conversation
Xiao Wen arrives at Zhi Qiang's house for a visit.
- 志强 Zhiqiang晓雯，欢迎来到我家！Xiǎowén, huānyíng lái dào wǒ jiā!Xiao Wen, welcome to my home!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen谢谢你，志强。Xièxiè nǐ, Zhìqiáng.Thank you, Zhi Qiang.
- 志强 Zhiqiang请进，请坐。Qǐng jìn, qǐng zuò.Please come in, please sit.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你的家真漂亮。Nǐ de jiā zhēn piàoliang.Your home is really beautiful.
