很高兴见到你
hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ
To say nice to see you in Chinese, say 很高兴见到你, read hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.
It is said when you meet someone, especially for the first time or after a while apart.
What does it mean word for word?
很 means very, 高兴 means happy or glad, 见到 means to see or meet and 你 means you.
How does it change in a sentence?
你 is the ordinary word for you. With elders or in formal settings, a polite form of you is often used in its place.
How do you pronounce it?
In hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ the first and last words take the dipping third tone, gāo is high and level and xìng, jiàn and dào fall sharply.
Did you know?
- While 很高兴见到你 is the textbook translation, Chinese speakers often omit the 'nice to see you' sentiment entirely and ask 你吃了吗 ('Have you eaten?') as a way of showing care and friendliness.
- The word for 'very' in this phrase, 很 (hěn), is often grammatically required even if you don't feel 'very' happy. In Chinese, omitting this adverb in a sentence like 我高兴 can actually make it sound like you are making a comparison, such as 'I am happier (than someone else)'.
- In many professional settings, the verbal 'nice to see you' is often secondary to the physical ritual of exchanging business cards. Receiving a card with both hands and a slight bow can be more communicative of politeness than the spoken phrase itself.
Examples in context
- 很高兴见到你。Nice to see you.This is the full greeting as a sentence, ending with the Chinese full stop.Tatoeba #349262 by zhouj1955, translation #32688 by CK
- 今天很高兴见到你。Jīntiān hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.It is very nice to see you today.
Example conversation
Haoran meets Yuting at a coffee shop for a planned catch-up.
- 浩然 Haoran雨婷，很高兴见到你。Yǔtíng, hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ.Yuting, it is nice to see you.
- 雨婷 Yuting我也很高兴见到你，浩然。Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ, Hàorán.It is nice to see you too, Haoran.
- 浩然 Haoran你最近怎么样？Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?How have you been lately?
- 雨婷 Yuting我很好，谢谢。Wǒ hěn hǎo, xièxiè.I am very well, thanks.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
