“Hello” is perhaps the very first word with which they begin to learn. foreign language. And if you decide to start learning Chinese, then it would be logical to start with this word.

Hello in Chinese looks and sounds like this (Russian translation of nihao):

你好 nǐhǎo

There is also a polite form of address. How to say hello in Chinese:

您好 ninhǎo

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But, to be honest, I almost never heard that it was used in communication. Therefore, I prefer to use the first option.

To greet several people or a company at once, you can use this expression:

大家好 Dàjiā hǎo Hello everyone

How do you say "good morning", "good afternoon" and "good night" in Chinese

Also, I think it would not be superfluous to find out how or to greet a person depending on the time of day:

• Good morning

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• Good afternoon

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• good evening or good night

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Chinese Language History The Chinese language has a rich history that dates back to 1122 BC. (BC). While today more than one billion people worldwide speak several varieties of Chinese, the language's history is tied to a more primitive, simpler language known as Proto-Sino-Tibetan. Modern linguists classify Chinese as part of the Sino-Tibetan group of languages.

Interestingly, the history of the Chinese language is a contentious issue among linguists, as many have conflicting notions of how the evolution of this language should be classified. However, despite the ongoing scholarly debate, many experts rely on the historical classification system developed by the Swedish linguist Bernhard Karlgren in the early 20th century. Karlgren suggested that the history of the Chinese language be seen in the following eras: Old Chinese Middle Chinese Modern Chinese Traditional Chinese characters are written in columns. These columns are required to be read from top to bottom and from right to left. Since this writing system uses a single character to represent a word or phrase, there are literally thousands of characters. In fact, Hanzi (literally, Chinese for " Chinese characters”) has over 50,000 characters. This is a huge number of count symbols, in particular for high level illiteracy in China. In an attempt to get around this problem, People's Republic China has introduced a program to simplify the language into a set of frequently used characters. Today's writing system uses approximately 6,000 of these characters. Of course, they also use proper names characters that rarely appear.

Numbers and numbers

Shops, hotels, transport

For different occasions

At the restaurant

Video Chinese lessons for beginners

From scratch!
第二课 - Lesson 2

How are you doing? / Interrogative particle "ma"

Wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?

我很好、你呢？

Wǒ yě hěn hǎo.

New words

Let's break it down by composition:

Comments

"你好吗? " - "How are you doing?"

"你好吗? ” is also a greeting in the form of a question. The standard response to such a greeting is "我很好", etc.

"你呢? " - "And you?"

"也很好。" - "Also (very) good."

In this sentence, the subject "我" is omitted. IN oral speech when the situation is clear, the subject is often omitted. The sentence "我很好" in the text of this lesson can also be shortened to "很好".

Phonetic exercises and conversational practice

four tones

Syllables that do not occur in modern Chinese, here and below are given in brackets.

Distinguishing sounds

he-hen
ben-pen
ge - ke
kǎn - kěn

biē - piē
le-lie
guò - kuo
mō - mao

Changing tones

Semi-third tone

The transition of the third tone to the second

Nǐ
Hěn
Wǒ
YE
YE

hǎo.
hǎo.
hěn
hǎo.
hěn

(Ni
(Hen
(Wo
(Ye
(Ye

hǎo.)
hǎo.)
hen
hǎo.)
hen

Complete the dialogues with appropriate responses

Exchange of greetings

A: Nǐ hǎo ma?
IN: , ?
A: Wǒ yě hěn hǎo.

A: Nǐ hǎo ma?
IN:

Phonetics

Basic requirements for the pronunciation of sounds

simple final e[γ]

The Chinese vowel represented by the letter "e" is a back vowel. When pronouncing it, the tongue is pulled back and raised high to the back of the hard palate, while the tip of the tongue is moved away from the lower teeth and tucked. Thus, the Chinese vowel "e" is characterized by the same place of formation as the vowel "o". Their articulation differs only in the participation of the lips: "o" is pronounced with rounded lips, "e" - with slightly stretched ones.

Speaking more in simple words: e = back sound "e" (middle between "e" and "s"). It can also be pronounced as "a", and as "e". For example, shén me ≈ sheng ma.

Difficult ending ie ≈ ie

The Chinese diphthong "ie" is ascending: the strong, syllabic element here is the final "e", and the initial vowel "i" is weak, non-syllabic. The tone sign in such diphthongs is placed above the second letter, which fixes the syllable-forming vowel. In this final, the letter “e” is used to write the sound [ε], which is not used independently. First, the sound “i” is pronounced quickly and weakly (the same as the Russian vowel in the words “world”, “rice”), and then the “e” is clearly and strongly pronounced. In this case, the tip of the tongue is at the lower teeth, and the lips are slightly stretched.

Difficult ending uo ≈ Russian wow

The Chinese diphthong "uo" is ascending. After a short and weak "u", the vowel "o" sounds distinctly. The tone sign is placed above the letter "o", fixing the syllable-forming vowel. In the absence of an initial consonant, the sound [u] is written with the letter w at the beginning of a syllable. A syllable consisting of one vowel [u] is written as wu.

light tone

In unstressed syllables, the main tone is lost. Everything is lost essential features each of the four basic tones - tone shape, intensity distribution, pitch interval. Unstressed syllables, regardless of their inherent fundamental tone, are pronounced with the same tone, which is called light. There are a small number of function words that do not have a root tone at all and are always pronounced in a light tone.

The shape of the light tone resembles the fourth tone, the descending melody of which is almost not caught due to the brevity of the unstressed syllable. Depending on the tone of the previous syllable, a light tone is pronounced at different heights: after the first tone it sounds low, after the second and fourth tones it is pronounced at an average level of the speech voice, after the third tone it is pronounced high (almost at the level of the first tone).

In alphabetical text, a light tone is not indicated by any sign. For example, "nǐ ne?" and "hǎo ma?".

Incomplete third tone

The third tone has its full form only before a pause or at the end of a separately pronounced word. If the syllable of the third tone is closely followed, without a pause, by another syllable of any tone except the third, the tone of such a syllable ends at its main low level, i.e., loses the ascending part. Such a melodic pattern is called an incomplete tone (allotone) or a third low tone.

In alphabetical notation, the third low tone is indicated in the same way as full third tone.

Transcription rules

In the absence of an initial consonant in a syllable, the vowel “i”, which forms the syllable, is pronounced with a slight overtone “y” and is written as a combination of letters “yi”.

In syllables with complex finals beginning with "i", in the absence of an initial consonant, the vowel "i" is written with the letter "y" and is pronounced approximately the same as the Russian "y". For example, "ie" is written as "ye".

In the absence of an initial consonant in a syllable, the vowel "u", which forms the syllable, is written as the letter combination "wu" and pronounced with more active lip work, a more intense sound is obtained, similar to English [w].

In syllables with complex finals beginning with "u", in the absence of an initial consonant, the vowel "u" ​​is written with the letter "w". For example, "uo" is written as "wǒ". Pronounced the same, with more active lip work.

Grammar

Chinese word order

A distinctive feature of the Chinese language is the absence of morphological changes in words according to persons, tenses, types, genders, numbers, cases, etc. Therefore, the word order in a sentence is the most important means expressions of syntactic relations.

In a sentence in the usual word order, the subject (subject) is in the first place, and the predicate (predicate) is in the second. For example:

«你好! »

"Hello!"

«我很好。 »

"I'm fine".

«(我)也很好。 »

"I'm fine too."

In these three sentences, "你" and "我" are subjects, and "好" is the main component of the predicate. The adverbs "也" and "很" are service elements related to the predicate "好".

In Chinese, an adverb comes before the word it describes (usually a verb or adjective).

Interrogative sentences with "吗"

The most common type of general question in Chinese is the one formed with the interrogative particle (in Chinese "auxiliary" terminology) "ma". This type of question is formed by simply adding the interrogative particle "ma" to the declarative sentence. The word order in the interrogative sentence is the same as the word order in the answer to it. For example:

你好。
你好吗？
我很好。

Sequence of writing and number of strokes

1.	吗		6
	嗎		13
2.	我		7
3.	很		9
4.	呢		8
5.	也		3

Phonetic dictation

Listen and write down the following monosyllables in pinyin transcription, indicate the tones:

跟；肯；或；破；门；列；恨；盆；慢；客；
歌；扩；乐；补；本；国；落；火；灭；别。

Chinese character writing

Chinese character writing differs significantly from the writing systems of other languages. Unlike the letters of the most common phonetic scripts, each Chinese character corresponds to a word or morpheme syllable. The total number of characters in the Chinese language is more than 50 thousand characters. In practice, only 5-8 thousand characters are used. At the same time, for reading works modern literature and journalism, 3-4 thousand hieroglyphs are enough, which meets the requirements of the full program high school China. The level of minimum written literacy, officially established for workers and employees, is about 2 thousand characters, for peasants - 1.5 thousand characters.

Chinese hieroglyphics is one of the oldest writing systems on Earth and the only hieroglyphic script that has survived to this day. The oldest monuments of Chinese written culture are divinatory inscriptions on turtle shells from the Shang-Yin period (2nd millennium BC) and inscriptions on bronze vessels from the Zhou period (1st millennium BC). It was during this time that not only developed base list figurative signs, the fundamental principles of hieroglyphics (see table below), but the quantitatively main category of phonoideographic signs (key + phonetics) has also formed, which now makes up more than 90% of all existing Chinese characters.

Over the four millennia of its existence, Chinese characters have become an integral part of Chinese traditional culture, the most important feature of Chinese civilization. The historical changes of the 20th century, and in particular the movement of China along the path of creating modern society and the corresponding democratic culture, led to a revision of the role of hieroglyphic writing for modern China. The result of this was the development of a long-term program for the reform of Chinese writing.

Shang-Yin (2 thousand BC) → Zhou (1 thousand BC) → Han (III century BC - III century AD) → Jin (IV century BC) AD) → Modern spelling

Note: the main mistake when learning hieroglyphs

The main mistake, or one of the main mistakes, is that while writing hieroglyphs, you do it mechanically, looking at a copy of the previously written hieroglyph. Just like, for example, you read a book, you read 10 pages, and you don’t remember what exactly you read, because. dozed off... :)
If you write in a notebook, as teachers require of you, do not look at the previously written hieroglyph, but rather close what you have already written. The fact is that you can not write them down in a notebook at all, just look at the original and, for example, try to draw it with your finger in the air, thereby memorizing visually and without mechanical memorization.

To consolidate the material and to get acquainted with another course on the site, you can take the 1st lesson from the "Dialogues" section.

Do you know what is the most embarrassing moment for all foreigners learning Chinese? When they realize that "ni hao" is far from the most popular word that the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom use to greet.

How do you say "hello", "how are you" in Chinese? Especially for you - six ways to say it.

Bonus 你好! (ni hao!) / 您好 (Ning hao!) - “Hello!” / “Hello!”

In case you just started learning Chinese, or you are a simple tourist who is not even going to learn the language, but has already applied for a visa to China.

"Ni hao" is the first thing that all foreigners learn. And even those who are completely unfamiliar with the language know that if you want to say “hello” in Chinese, say “ni hao”. If translated literally, then the meaning will be consonant with our “hello”: “neither” - you; hao is good.

In fact, locals rarely use this phrase, as it sounds too formal. "Ning hao" is a respectful form ("nin" - you). Most often used to greet teachers or superiors. In this form, it is actively used.

Also, quite often, even in the first Chinese lessons, they study: if you add an interrogative particle to “ni hao”, then the greeting turns into a question “how are you” (“ni hao ma?”). However, this will immediately give you a foreigner. The Chinese use such a turnover not to ask how things are, but to make sure that everything is in order. That is, by saying “ni hao ma”, you focus on the fact that a person looks, to put it mildly, unimportant and you want to know if he is healthy.

早！(Zao!) - "Good morning!"

"Zao" is short for 早上好! ("Zhao shang hao!"), which means " Good morning". This is one of the popular ways to say "hello" in Chinese. The only case when the use of this word is inappropriate is if it is evening outside.

你吃了吗？ (Ni chi le ma?) - "Have you eaten?"

If you are asked, "Ni chi la ma?", don't rush to talk about the delicious sandwich you had for breakfast or look around for food.

For the Chinese, this is not an invitation to dinner, but a way to ask how you are. It is enough to simply answer: “Chi Le. No ne?" (“I ate, and you?”). This is how you express unobtrusive concern for a person. if you ask so, no one will demand treats from you, but it is quite possible that the attitude of the locals towards you will become a few degrees warmer. The Chinese love foreigners who not only know how to say hello in Chinese, but are also not surprised by the question of food.

最近好吗？ (Zui jin hao ma?) - "How are things going?"

"Zui zhin hao ma?" similar to the Russian "how are you?". The answer may be the same as in mother tongue. You can limit yourself to a short “hao” - “good”, or simply nod your head in the affirmative. And you can, if the level of the language allows you, say a couple of phrases about how things are going.

喂 (Way!) - "Hello?"

This is how the Chinese answer the phone. A very simple and pleasant sounding word. It is used by everyone, regardless of age, gender and social status.

去哪儿？(Chu nar?) - "Where are you going?"

"No chu nar?" is the Chinese way of saying "hello" when you run into someone. By our standards, such a question may seem like excessive curiosity, especially when the interlocutor is a hated acquaintance. However, for the Chinese, this is just a way to show participation and show some respect for the person.

Often the form of a question is used, where the location is already indicated. For example, when faced with a student or schoolchild, you might ask, “Chu shan ki le?” (“Are you going to the lesson / couples?”).

好久不见！(Hao jou bu zen!) - "Long time no see!"

"Hao jou bu zen!" - so you can say in Chinese "hello" to an old acquaintance whom you have not seen for quite a long time. This phrase has a very positive emotional connotation.

Little "but"

As you probably know, Chinese is a tonal language. The same word, spoken in a different tone, can mean something completely different. Of course, if you are a tourist, and even a fair-haired one, then the good-natured Chinese will definitely make a discount on this. But if you want to sound like a local, be aware that it's not enough to know how to say "hello" in Chinese. Pronunciation also plays an important role.

There is a very simple option for those who are not going to seriously study the language - hammer the phrase into online translator with the ability to listen to the typed text and just try to copy the speaker's intonation. It's much easier than figuring out the nuances of one of the most difficult languages ​​to learn in the world.

Most importantly, don't be afraid to speak up. The Chinese are always happy to tell you how to do it right. Especially if you take a picture with them in response and teach a couple of phrases in Russian or English. Or buy something, since the noodle dealer helped you.

Hello my students! In this lesson, I will show you how to say hello in Chinese and ask for the name of the interlocutor. You will also learn a few basic rules.

Dialogue:

-你好！你叫什么名字？

-我叫伊万，你呢？

-我叫玛丽。

-认识你很高兴!玛丽你好吗？

-我很好。你呢？

-我也很好。

Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?

Wǒ jiào yī wàn, nǐ ne?

Wǒ jiào mǎlì.

Rènshí nǐ hěn gāoxìng! Mǎlì nǐ hǎo ma?

Wǒ hěn hǎo. Nǐne?

Wǒ yě hěn hǎo.

Translation:

Hello! What is your name?

My name is Ivan. And you?

My name is Maria.

It's very nice to meet you. How are you, Maria?

I am very good. And you?

I am also very good.

New words:

好 hǎo - good

你好 nǐhǎo - hello (dol. you are good)

吗 ma is a phrasal particle expressing a question

很 hěn - very

也 yě - too, also

呢 ne is a phrasal particle expressing a question?

你呢 nǐne – And you? And you?

叫 jiào - to call, to call

什么 shénme - what, what, what, what

名字 míngzi - name

伊万 yīwàn - Ivan (transliteration)

玛丽 mǎlì – Mary (transliteration)

认识 rènshi - to know, to get acquainted, to get acquainted, to get acquainted

高兴 gāoxìng - rejoice, joyful

认识你很高兴 rènshi nǐhěn gāoxìng - Nice to meet you.

In Chinese, there are 3 ways to form a question.

1. Using the phrasal particle 吗 ma.
2. Using the interrogative word 什么 shénme (etc. we will study later).
3. Using the construction of repetition of the verb. (We will analyze in more detail later).

So let's look at examples.

Question 你好吗？nǐhǎo ma? Literally translated as "Are you good?" It means "How are you doing?" .你认识玛丽吗? nǐ rènshi mǎlì ma? – Do you know Mary?

In the question 你叫什么名字？nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? -"What is your name?" there is no phrasal particle 吗 ma, but there is an interrogative word 什么 shénme, which is the form of the question. Literally. "You are called (called) by what name?"

I think, perhaps, the phrase 认识你很高兴 rènshi nǐhěn gāoxìng also scares you, because it is very long and not clear. Well, let's figure it out.

认识你 rènshi nǐ means to get to know you, to get to know you

很高兴 hěn gāoxìng - very happy, very pleased

These phrases can be interchanged and the meaning will be the same. You can say 我很高兴认识你 wǒ hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ and it will be translated as "I am very pleased to meet you"

Hieroglyph	Writing order
你
玛
吗
我
好
认
丽
伊
万
名
字
很
叫
高
识
兴
什
也
好

Next, I have prepared for you interesting stories with pictures about the formation of hieroglyphs, after reading and looking at which, it will be much easier and more understandable for you. The character 好 hǎo consists of two parts 女 nǚ - woman

and 子 zǐ - child.

A woman with a child means "good, right, excellent"

The old form of the character 我 wǒ consisted of two harpoons opposing each other, perhaps representing the opposition of two rights. Namely, my right, that means me. Subsequently, its form was transformed into a hieroglyph consisting of a pictogram of a hand holding a sword or spear, thus denoting that when a man holds a spear in his hand, his EGO becomes stronger, forming the word "I".

The classical hieroglyph 你 nǐ was denoted by a pictogram of balance or scales, adding the grapheme “person” to the left, a word was formed describing a person of the same weight, i.e. YOU.

The character 叫 jiào is formed from two parts. The left part means "mouth", while the right part used to have a different spelling and denoted hand scales used by street vendors. They lured buyers low prices for sweet watermelons.

The right side of the character 很 hěn means stubbornness, namely, the top is the eye, and the bottom is the turn back. The left side means the steps or force that should be applied to curb, pacify this stubbornness, because. stubbornness is usually strong, then you need VERY many steps, hence the meaning of “very”.

Since ancient times, the character 也 yě denoted a drinking horn in the shape of a cone. In addition to the basic things, the person also carried this vessel with him. Until now, the hieroglyph has retained its meaning - the pictogram is used to denote the union "too, also, and" in the design "man and his horn".

As in the previous lesson, homework it will be the following: write out new words, write down each hieroglyph in 3-4 lines. Make up a simple dialogue based on the lesson example. If you have any questions, write, I will try to answer as soon as possible.

Let's stop there for now, read the continuation in the next lesson.

In the next lesson, we will study numbers, learn how to write the date and get acquainted with some new words. And in order not to miss a new lesson, subscribe to the site updates. See you soon!