{"id":181396,"date":"2013-08-07T12:48:41","date_gmt":"2013-08-07T16:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/say-goodbye-in-chinese\/"},"modified":"2025-01-24T00:38:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T05:38:59","slug":"say-goodbye-in-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/say-goodbye-in-chinese\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Best Ways to Say Goodbye in Chinese for Any Occasion"},"content":{"rendered":"

While \u518d\u89c1<\/strong> (z\u00e0i ji\u00e0n)<\/em> is the classic translation of “goodbye” in Chinese, it’s not the only way to bid others farewell.<\/p>\n

Just as there are multiple ways to say “hello” in Chinese<\/a>, you can sound more advanced by using a variety of Mandarin goodbyes as well.<\/p>\n

In this blog post, you’ll learn 14 common phrases native speakers use to say goodbye in Chinese<\/strong>, along with audio pronunciations and explanations so you can be sure you’re saying exactly what you mean to say.<\/p>\n

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1. \u518d\u89c1 (z\u00e0i ji\u00e0n)<\/em> \u2014 Goodbye<\/h2>\n

This is the most vanilla goodbye in Chinese. It’s what you learn on your first day of Chinese class, and you can’t go wrong with it. \u518d means “again” and \u89c1 means “to see (someone).”<\/p>\n

So in literal terms, it doesn’t really mean “goodbye.” It means “see you again.” However, you say this even if you don’t expect to see someone again.<\/p>\n

2. \u62dc\u62dc (b\u00e0i bai)<\/em> \u2014 Bye bye<\/h2>\n

This is especially common in Taiwan. It came from English and sounds just like what it means: Bye bye!<\/p>\n

You may also hear this with a Chinese particle<\/a> at the end, as in: \u62dc\u62dc\u5566<\/strong>\uff01 (b\u00e0i bai l\u0101)<\/em><\/p>\n

3. \u4e00\u4f1a\u513f\u89c1 (y\u012b hu\u01d0r ji\u00e0n)<\/em> \u2014 See you soon<\/h2>\n

\u4e00\u4f1a\u513f means “a while,” so this goodbye is basically the same as saying “See you in a bit!” or “See you later!” It’s pretty casual.<\/p>\n

4. \u660e\u5929\u89c1 (m\u00edng ti\u0101n ji\u00e0n)<\/em> \u2014 See you tomorrow<\/h2>\n

This is a spin off from \u518d\u89c1 and \u4e00\u4f1a\u513f\u89c1. Now we have \u660e\u5929 at the beginning, which means “tomorrow.” In fact, you can put a lot of time words<\/a> in this construction to mean you’ll see someone at a specific time.<\/p>\n

In contrast to \u518d\u89c1, don’t use this unless you really expect to see the person tomorrow. Otherwise, they’ll just be confused.<\/p>\n

5. \u518d\u4f1a (z\u00e0i hu\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 Meet you again<\/h2>\n

This is like \u518d\u89c1 but not as common. \u4f1a on its own means “to meet,” so this Chinese goodbye feels kind of like “Catch you later!”<\/p>\n

6. \u56de\u5934\u89c1 (hu\u00ed t\u00f3u ji\u00e0n)<\/em> \u2014 See you later<\/h2>\n

\u56de\u5934 means “to turn one’s head.” What you’re truly saying is that you’ll turn your head to see them again.<\/p>\n

7. \u6211\u8d70\u4e86 (w\u01d2 z\u01d2u le)<\/em> \u2014 I’m off<\/h2>\n

Literally, this casual goodbye is “I walked,” but it’s used much like the English “I’m off” or even “I’m gone.” It can also be shortened to “\u8d70\u4e86” among close friends.<\/p>\n

8. \u73a9\u5f97\u5f00\u5fc3 (w\u00e1n de k\u0101i x\u012bn)<\/em> \u2014 Have fun<\/h2>\n

This is a good way to say something roughly equivalent to “Have a good day,” which doesn’t translate very well into Chinese.<\/p>\n

Instead, you can say \u73a9\u5f97\u5f00\u5fc3 to wish someone a fun time as you part ways.<\/p>\n

9. \u540e\u4f1a\u6709\u671f (h\u00f2u hu\u00ec y\u01d2u q\u012b)<\/em> \u2014 We’ll meet again<\/h2>\n

\u540e\u4f1a\u6709\u671f is a pretty dramatic way to bid someone farewell. In English, it could even have “someday” on the end too, because this phrase should be used when you’re not sure you’ll see the other person again.<\/p>\n

10. \u518d\u8054\u7cfb (z\u00e0i li\u00e1n x\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 Keep in touch<\/h2>\n

This variation on \u518d\u89c1 emphasizes simply staying in touch, rather than actually meeting each other. \u8054\u7cfb means “to contact” or “to connect” with someone.<\/p>\n

Note that this phrase could be used politely even if the speaker doesn’t really <\/em>intend to stay in touch.<\/p>\n

11. \u6709\u7a7a\u518d\u804a (y\u01d2u k\u00f2ng z\u00e0i li\u00e1o)<\/em> \u2014 Let’s chat again when you’re free<\/h2>\n

\u6709\u7a7a means “to have free time.” \u804a means “to chat.” This is a very casual way to say goodbye, so if you use this phrase, you’ll sound very local and authentic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It’ll also sound like you think the person you’re talking to is your buddy. This could be taken differently (in a very friendly way, or offensively) depending on the context, so make sure to save it for people who are truly your friends.<\/p>\n

12. \u6211\u5148\u544a\u8f9e\u4e86 (w\u01d2 xi\u0101n g\u00e0o c\u00ed le)<\/em> \u2014 I’ll take my leave first<\/h2>\n

This is a polite and very standard way to leave a social setting. It’s kind of like saying “Pardon me” or “I must leave first.”<\/p>\n

\u5148 means “first,” \u544a means “to announce” and \u8f9e means “to leave.” So, this goodbye means something like “I announce my departure first.”<\/p>\n

You could use this with your friends and it wouldn’t feel awkward. You would say it casually, but it would still express respect for them.<\/p>\n

13. \u5931\u966a\u4e86 (sh\u012b p\u00e9i le)<\/em> \u2014 Excuse me for leaving<\/h2>\n

This one is the most formal. \u5931 means “to fail” or “to lose.” \u966a means “to accompany.” It’s literally something like “Sorry for leaving,” similar to saying “Please excuse me” in English when you have to leave.<\/p>\n

You could use this with your friends, but it could sound like you’re trying to use it humorously because it’s so polite.<\/p>\n

14. \u4fdd\u91cd (b\u01ceo zh\u00f2ng)<\/em> \u2014 Take care<\/h2>\n

This is a great way to say goodbye if someone is going on a long trip, or even moving far away. \u4fdd is “keep” and \u91cd is “important\/heavy,” and together, the phrase is usually used to tell someone to take care of their health or safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Resources to Practice Saying Goodbye in Chinese<\/h2>\n