{"id":182580,"date":"2019-04-08T04:40:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T08:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/family-introduction-in-chinese\/"},"modified":"2025-01-19T00:11:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-19T05:11:22","slug":"family-introduction-in-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/family-introduction-in-chinese\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Vocabulary Guide to Family Introductions in Chinese"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you’re the new love interest<\/a> or just a classmate, there’s a lot of pressure to make a good first impression on others’ parents. Carrying out a conversation may be a stretch for beginners, but learning the basics of family introductions can make all the difference.<\/p>\n

Read on for how to navigate family introductions in Chinese.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Phrases You’ll Need for a Family Introduction in Chinese<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before we get down to key terms and dialogue, let’s go over some of the formulas you’ll need for a family introduction in Chinese.<\/p>\n

\u8fd9\u662f\u6211(\u7684)___\u3002 (zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 [de] ___.)<\/em> \u2014 This is my ___.<\/h3>\n

This is the sentence structure you’ll be using when introducing your family to a Chinese friend.<\/p>\n

Notice that \u7684\u00a0is in parentheses. It can be taken out without losing the meaning of the sentence, so it’s up to you whether you’d like to include it or not.<\/p>\n

\u8fd9\u662f\u6211\u7684\u6bcd\u4eb2\u3002 (zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 de m\u01d4 q\u012bn.)<\/em> \u2014 This is my mother.<\/p>\n

\u4ed6\/\u5979\u662f\u6211(\u7684)___\u3002 (t\u0101 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 [de] ___.)<\/em> \u2014 He\/She is my ___.<\/h3>\n

Instead of saying, “This is my _____,” you could also use this sentence structure.<\/p>\n

\u4ed6\u662f\u6211\u5f1f\u5f1f\u3002 (t\u0101 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 d\u00ec d\u00ec.)<\/em> \u2014 He is my younger brother.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u53eb___\u3002 (w\u01d2 ji\u00e0o ___.)<\/em> \u2014 My name is ___.<\/h3>\n

This one is straightforward, used for meeting your friend’s family.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u53eb\u827e\u7c73\u8389\u3002 (w\u01d2 ji\u00e0o \u00e0i m\u01d0 l\u00ec.)<\/em> \u2014 My name is Emily.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u662f\u4ed6\/\u5979(\u7684)___\u3002 (w\u01d2 sh\u00ec t\u0101\/t\u0101 [de] ___.)<\/em> \u2014 I am his\/her ___.<\/h3>\n

This is a sentence structure you can use when a Chinese family member asks how you and your friend know each other or what relationship you two have.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u662f\u5979\u7684\u5ba4\u53cb\u3002 (w\u01d2 sh\u00ec t\u0101 de sh\u00ec y\u01d2u.)<\/em> \u2014 I am her roommate.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u4eec\u5728___\u8ba4\u8bc6\u3002 (w\u01d2 men z\u00e0i ___ r\u00e8n sh\u00ed.)<\/em> \u2014 We met at ___.<\/h3>\n

Here’s another example sentence you’d use with your friend’s family when asked where or how you met.<\/p>\n

\u6211\u4eec\u5728\u4e00\u5bb6\u5496\u5561\u5e97\u8ba4\u8bc6\u3002 (w\u01d2 men z\u00e0i y\u012b ji\u0101 k\u0101 f\u0113i di\u00e0n r\u00e8n sh\u00ed.)<\/em> \u2014 We met at a coffee shop.<\/p>\n

Seems basic enough, right? Okay, moving onto vocabulary and sample dialogues!<\/p>\n

Introducing Your Family to a Friend<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Have you recently made a new Chinese friend you want to introduce to your folks? Whether your friend knows very little English or is proficient, you still may need to do some translating.<\/p>\n

Family Vocabulary<\/h3>\n

By now, you may know the basic terms for immediate family members<\/a>, and perhaps some others to describe specific relatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you’d rather use more general terms, or terms to describe more members of your family, refer to this list:<\/p>\n

\u5bb6\u4eba (ji\u0101 r\u00e9n)<\/em> \u2014 family<\/p>\n

\u7236\u6bcd (f\u00f9 m\u01d4)<\/em> \u2014 lit<\/em>. father and mother; parents<\/p>\n

\u5144\u5f1f\u59d0\u59b9 (xi\u014dng d\u00ec ji\u011b m\u00e8i)<\/em> \u2014 lit.<\/em> brothers and sisters; siblings<\/p>\n

\u59bb\u5b50 (q\u012b zi)<\/em> \u2014 wife<\/p>\n

\u4e08\u592b (zh\u00e0ng f\u016b)<\/em> \u2014 husband<\/p>\n

\u5b69\u5b50 (h\u00e1i zi)<\/em> \u2014 child\/children<\/p>\n

\u7956\u7236\u6bcd (z\u01d4 f\u00f9 m\u01d4)<\/em> \u2014 grandparents<\/p>\n

\u4eb2\u621a \/ \u4eb2\u621a\u4eec\u00a0(q\u012bn q\u012b \/ q\u012bn q\u012b men)<\/em> \u2014 relative\/relatives<\/p>\n

You can also use some Chinese terms of endearment<\/a> when talking about your family with your Chinese friend. They’ll help your introduction be a little less formal.<\/p>\n

Unless you’re bringing your friend to a family reunion, you probably won’t need to use most of these terms, anyway.<\/p>\n

However, it doesn’t hurt to study the complex Chinese family tree. Even if you have no plans to introduce your Chinese friend to your entire family, they may want to introduce you to theirs!<\/p>\n

An Example Family Introduction to a Chinese Friend<\/h3>\n

Here’s a sample dialogue so you can see how this situation could potentially flow.<\/p>\n

Speaker A is the foreigner introducing their friend, Speaker B, to their family. Speakers C and D are A’s mom and dad, respectively.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> \u738b\u82b3, \u8fd9\u662f\u6211\u7684\u5bb6\u4eba\u3002\u00a0(w\u00e1ng f\u0101ng, zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 de ji\u0101 r\u00e9n.)<\/em> \u2014 Wang Fang, this is my family.<\/p>\n

B:<\/strong> \u5927\u5bb6\u597d\uff01\u00a0(d\u00e0 ji\u0101 h\u01ceo!)<\/em> \u2014 Hello, everyone!<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> \u8fd9\u662f\u6211\u7238\u7238Richard\u548c\u6211\u5988\u5988Joan\u3002\u00a0(zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 b\u00e0 ba Richard h\u00e9 w\u01d2 m\u0101 m\u0101 Joan.)<\/em> \u2014 This is my father, Richard, and my mother, Joan.<\/p>\n

C & D:<\/strong> Welcome, Wang Fang!<\/p>\n

Pretty easy, don’t you think?<\/p>\n

Introducing Yourself to a Friend’s Family<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The other situation in which you’ll need Chinese for family introductions is when you, the foreigner, are meeting your Chinese friend’s family.<\/p>\n

Surely, your friend would be the one introducing you to the family, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could hold your own instead of rely on your pal to do all the talking on your behalf?<\/p>\n

It’s worth noting that you may not just be meeting the parents or the immediate family. The Chinese typically raise their kids to be interdependent<\/a>, or part of an extended family, so you’ll probably be meeting the grandparents, as well.<\/p>\n

Some traditional families, especially ones in rural China, have up to five generations living in one household<\/a>. As if meeting the parents wasn’t nerve wracking enough!<\/p>\n

Vocabulary to Describe Your Relationship<\/h3>\n

Although it’s the safest way to describe your relationship to the parents, “friend” is a pretty broad term to use. If you want to be more specific, here’s a list of vocabulary that you might find useful:<\/p>\n

\u670b\u53cb (p\u00e9ng y\u01d2u)<\/em> \u2014 friend<\/p>\n

\u95fa\u871c (gu\u012b m\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 best female friend<\/p>\n

\u5144\u5f1f (xi\u014dng d\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 best male friend<\/p>\n

\u5973\u670b\u53cb (n\u01da p\u00e9ng y\u01d2u)<\/em> \u2014 girlfriend<\/p>\n

\u7537\u670b\u53cb (n\u00e1n p\u00e9ng y\u01d2u)<\/em> \u2014 boyfriend<\/p>\n

\u672a\u5a5a\u59bb (w\u00e8i h\u016bn q\u012b)<\/em> \u2014 fianc\u00e9e<\/p>\n

\u672a\u5a5a\u592b (w\u00e8i h\u016bn f\u016b)<\/em> \u2014 fianc\u00e9<\/p>\n

\u540c\u5b66 (t\u00f3ng xu\u00e9)<\/em> \u2014 classmate<\/p>\n

\u540c\u4e8b (t\u00f3ng sh\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 colleague\/co-worker<\/p>\n

\u8001\u677f (l\u01ceo b\u01cen)<\/em> \u2014 boss<\/p>\n

\u5ba4\u53cb (sh\u00ec y\u01d2u)<\/em> \u2014 housemate\/roommate<\/p>\n

\u5bfc\u5e08 (d\u01ceo sh\u012b)<\/em> \u2014 tutor<\/p>\n

\u5b66\u751f (xu\u00e9 sh\u0113ng)<\/em> \u2014 student<\/p>\n

An Example Introduction to a Chinese Friend’s Family<\/h3>\n

In this situation, you’ll probably need to be able to speak more Chinese than if you introduced your Chinese friend to your family.<\/p>\n

Here’s another sample dialogue, where Speaker A is a Chinese woman introducing her American boyfriend, Speaker B, to her family. Speaker C is the father, and Speaker D is the mother.<\/p>\n

A:<\/strong> \u7238\u7238\u5988\u5988, \u8fd9\u662f\u6211\u7684\u7537\u670b\u53cb\u8fc8\u514b\u3002\u8fc8\u514b, \u8fd9\u662f\u6211\u7236\u6bcd\u3002\u00a0(b\u00e0 ba m\u0101 m\u0101, zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 de n\u00e1n p\u00e9ng y\u01d2u m\u00e0i k\u00e8. m\u00e0i k\u00e8, zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec w\u01d2 de f\u00f9 m\u01d4.)<\/em> \u2014 Father, mother, this is my boyfriend Mike. Mike, these are my parents.<\/p>\n

C & D:<\/strong> \u4f60\u597d\u8fc8\u514b\uff01\u00a0(n\u01d0 h\u01ceo m\u00e0i k\u00e8!)<\/em> \u2014 Hello, Mike!<\/p>\n

B:<\/strong> \u4f60\u4eec\u597d\uff01\u5f88\u9ad8\u5174\u8ba4\u8bc6\u4f60\u3002\u00a0(n\u01d0 men h\u01ceo! h\u011bn g\u0101o x\u00ecng r\u00e8n sh\u00ec n\u01d0.)<\/em> \u2014 Hello! Nice to meet you.<\/p>\n

C:<\/strong> \u4f60\u4eec\u5728\u90a3\u91cc\u8ba4\u8bc6\uff1f (n\u01d0 men z\u00e0i n\u00e0 l\u01d0 r\u00e8n sh\u00ed?)<\/em> \u2014 Where did you two meet?<\/p>\n

B:<\/strong> \u6211\u4eec\u5728\u5927\u5b66\u56fe\u4e66\u9986\u8ba4\u8bc6\u3002\u5979\u4e5f\u662f\u6211\u7684\u4e2d\u6587\u5bfc\u5e08\u3002\u00a0(w\u01d2 men z\u00e0i d\u00e0 xu\u00e9 t\u00fa sh\u016b gu\u01cen r\u00e8n sh\u00ed. t\u0101 y\u011b sh\u00ec w\u01d2 de zh\u014dng w\u00e9n d\u01ceo sh\u012b.)<\/em> \u2014 We met at the university library. She’s also my Chinese tutor.<\/p>\n

D:<\/strong> \u597d\u68d2\u554a\uff01\u5750\u6765\u5427\u3002\u00a0(h\u01ceo b\u00e0ng a! zu\u00f2 l\u00e1i ba.)<\/em> \u2014 Wonderful! Come, have a seat.<\/p>\n

B:<\/strong> \u8c22\u8c22\uff01\u00a0(xi\u00e8 xi\u00e8!)<\/em> \u2014 Thank you!<\/p>\n

Once you’ve got the introductory exchange down, I recommend reading up on sentence structures concerning personal information and interests<\/a>. Chinese people do love small talk! Be prepared to talk about your heritage, family background, career and hobbies. I also recommend using a program like FluentU<\/a> to hear more examples in context.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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