{"id":182638,"date":"2019-06-05T05:41:50","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T09:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/how-to-introduce-yourself-in-chinese-pinyin\/"},"modified":"2025-05-23T14:14:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T18:14:05","slug":"how-to-introduce-yourself-in-chinese-pinyin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/how-to-introduce-yourself-in-chinese-pinyin\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese: A Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The first step in combining Chinese language and culture involves being prepared to introduce yourself in Chinese at any moment. <strong>In a culture based on \u5173\u7cfb (<em>gu\u0101nxi<\/em> &#8211; relationships), it&#8217;s crucial to be able to describe yourself accurately.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The simplest way to introduce yourself in Chinese is to say \u4f60\u597d (<em>n\u01d0 h\u01ceo<\/em>) meaning &#8220;hello&#8221; and\u00a0\u6211\u53eb (<em>w\u01d2 ji\u00e0o<\/em>) meaning &#8220;my name is.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But, if you want to know even more about the different ways you can introduce yourself and information about you in Chinese, we&#8217;re here to help.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc] <br \/>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Simple Chinese Greetings to Introduce Yourself<\/h2>\n<p>The basic Chinese greeting is a well-wish, using the word\u00a0\u597d (<em>h\u01ceo<\/em>) \u2014 good. Before saying <em>h\u01ceo<\/em>, you can insert a time of day or a fitting pronoun. The standard greeting is\u00a0\u4f60\u597d (<em>n\u01d0 h\u01ceo<\/em>)<em> \u2014 <\/em>hello, <em>n\u01d0<\/em> meaning &#8220;you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>[Personal pronoun] <em>h\u01ceo<\/em>:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u60a8\u00a0(<em>n\u00edn<\/em>) \u2014 The respectful form of the pronoun &#8220;you,&#8221; used for addressing elderly people or people with higher social or business status<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u53d4\u53d4\u00a0(<em>sh\u016b shu<\/em>) \u2014 Uncle, used for a man who&#8217;s old enough to be your father<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u963f\u59e8 (<em>\u0101 y\u00ed<\/em>) \u2014 Aunty, used for a woman could be your mom<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u7237\u7237\u00a0(<em>y\u00e8 ye<\/em>) \u2014 Literally &#8220;father&#8217;s father,&#8221; used for a man who could be your grandfather<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5976\u5976\u00a0(<em>n\u01cei nai<\/em>) \u2014 Literally &#8220;father&#8217;s mother,&#8221; used for a woman who could be your grandmother<\/p>\n<p>[Time of day] h\u01ceo:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u65e9\u4e0a\u00a0(<em>z\u01ceo sh\u00e0ng<\/em>) \u2014 Morning (before 8:00 a.m.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4e0a\u5348\u00a0(<em>sh\u00e0ng w\u01d4<\/em>) \u2014 Morning (after 8:00 a.m.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4e0b\u5348\u00a0(<em>xi\u00e0 w\u01d4<\/em>)<em> \u2014 <\/em>Afternoon<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u665a\u4e0a\u00a0(<em>w\u01cen sh\u00e0ng<\/em>) \u2014 Evening<\/p>\n<h2>Introducing Your Name in Chinese<\/h2>\n<p>In conversation, you&#8217;ll likely hear one of two questions asking for your name:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u600e\u4e48\u79f0\u547c\u60a8? (<em>z\u011bnme ch\u00e9ngh\u016b n\u00edn?<\/em>) \u2014 How should I address you?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4f60\u53eb\u4ec0\u4e48\u540d\u5b57? (<em>n\u01d0 ji\u00e0o sh\u00e9nme m\u00edngzi?<\/em>) \u2014 What&#8217;s your name?<\/p>\n<p>The first question includes the respectful <em>n\u01d0n<\/em>, meaning it should be used to address older people or people with higher social or business status. In less formal relationships, either question can be used. In both cases, you can respond:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u53eb (w\u01d2 ji\u00e0o) \u2013 My name is, and then say your name<\/p>\n<h2>Asking About The Other Person<\/h2>\n<p>You should use questions and phrases that show you&#8217;re taking an interest in the person you&#8217;re conversing with, thus&#8230; building <em>gu\u0101nxi<\/em>. For example<strong>,\u00a0<\/strong>\u5403\u996d\u4e86\u5417? (<em>ch\u012b f\u00e0n le ma?<\/em>) meaning &#8220;have you eaten yet?&#8221; is a commonly used phrase that can be used after a typical meal time.<\/p>\n<p>If you already know something about their job or family, <strong>do<\/strong><em>\u00a0<\/em>build that relationship by using \u600e\u4e48\u6837 (<em>z\u011bnme y\u00e0ng<\/em>) questions:<\/p>\n<p><strong>[Topic of interest] <em>z\u011bnme y\u00e0ng<\/em>? <\/strong>&#8211; How&#8217;s [topic of interest]?<\/p>\n<p>Topics of interest may include:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u751f\u610f\u00a0(<em>sh\u0113ngy\u00ec<\/em>) \u2014 Business, implying the person runs their own business<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5de5\u4f5c\u00a0(<em>g\u014dngzu\u00f2<\/em>) \u2014 Work as an employee<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5bb6\u4eba\u00a0(<em>ji\u0101r\u00e9n<\/em>) \u2014 Family members<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u7236\u6bcd\u00a0(<em>f\u00f9m\u01d4<\/em>) \u2014 Parents<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5b69\u5b50\u00a0(<em>h\u00e1izi<\/em>) \u2014 Child or children<\/p>\n<p>If you don&#8217;t know anything about them and it&#8217;s not around a meal time, just <a href=\"\/blog\/chinese\/chinese-conversation-script\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">jump into the conversation<\/a>!<\/p>\n<h2>Reacting to a Compliment<\/h2>\n<p>At any point after you say your name, your Chinese will likely be complimented. To be polite, they&#8217;ll compliment your Chinese regardless of how good it is.<\/p>\n<p>They recognize the challenge of learning a language since most have at least studied English in school, so saying your Chinese is good is a way to elevate you. It&#8217;s now your mission to humbly reject such a lofty compliment.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll hear:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4f60\u7684\u4e2d\u6587\u5f88\u597d! (<em>n\u01d0 de zh\u014dngw\u00e9n h\u011bn h\u01ceo!<\/em>) \u2014 Your Chinese is very good!<\/p>\n<p>You should say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u54ea\u91cc\u54ea\u91cc (<em>n\u01cel\u01d0 n\u01cel\u01d0<\/em>)<em> \u2014 <\/em>Literally &#8220;Where? Where?&#8221; implying &#8220;I don&#8217;t see anyone around here who deserves such a compliment!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6ca1\u6709\u00a0(<em>m\u00e9i y\u01d2u<\/em>) \u2014 Literally &#8220;don&#8217;t have,&#8221; implying you aren&#8217;t qualified for such a compliment<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t be afraid to admit:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u8fd8\u5728\u5b66\u4e60\u4e2d\u6587\u00a0(<em>w\u01d2 h\u00e1i z\u00e0i xu\u00e9x\u00ed zh\u014dngw\u00e9n<\/em>) \u2014 I&#8217;m still learning Chinese.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u7684\u4e2d\u6587\u4e0d\u592a\u597d\u00a0(<em>w\u01d2 de zh\u014dngw\u00e9n b\u00fa t\u00e0i h\u01ceo<\/em>) \u2014 My Chinese isn&#8217;t that great.<\/p>\n<p>If you include a statement about your low Chinese level, it shouldn&#8217;t be the focal point of the sentence. For example, instead of &#8220;My Chinese isn&#8217;t that great,&#8221; you could say &#8220;Even though my Chinese isn&#8217;t that great, I&#8217;m happy to tell you a little bit about myself.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>If you can, deflect the compliment to someone else who really deserves it. This shows you know where the credit really goes. For example, after the other person compliments your Chinese, you could say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u8ba9\u6211\u7684\u8001\u5e08\u5f88\u9ad8\u5174\u00a0(<em>r\u00e0ng w\u01d2 de l\u01ceosh\u012b h\u011bn g\u0101ox\u00ecng<\/em>) \u2014 That would make my teacher very happy.<\/p>\n<h2>Share Your Background to Introduce Yourself in Chinese<\/h2>\n<p>A good self-introduction in Chinese needs to describe your essence. That all starts with your background: where you&#8217;re from, your family, your education, your work situation and even your income. All of this forms a large part of who you are, so this information is important to share with Chinese people.<\/p>\n<p>Because conversations\u2014especially the first one\u2014are all about building\u00a0<em>gu\u0101nxi<\/em>, the heart of the conversation starts immediately after exchanging names.<\/p>\n<h3>Talking About: Where You&#8217;re From<\/h3>\n<p>If someone asks:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4f60\u662f\u54ea\u91cc\u7684? (<em>n\u01d0 sh\u00ec n\u01cel\u01d0 de<\/em>?) \u2014 Where are you from?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4f60\u662f\u54ea\u4e2a\u56fd\u5bb6\u7684? (<em>n\u01d0 sh\u00ec n\u01cege gu\u00f3ji\u0101 de?<\/em>) \u2014 What country are you from?<\/p>\n<p>You can answer:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u662f\u00a0___ \u7684\u00a0(<em>w\u01d2 sh\u00ec<\/em> ___\u00a0<em>de<\/em>) \u2014 I&#8217;m from ___<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u6765\u81ea<strong>___<\/strong> (<em>w\u01d2 l\u00e1iz\u00ec<\/em> ___) \u2014 I&#8217;m from ___<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re from the local area, you can say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u662f\u672c\u5730\u7684 (<em>w\u01d2 sh\u00ec b\u011bnd\u00ec de<\/em>) \u2014 I&#8217;m a local, literally &#8220;I&#8217;m from this place.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>If you ask them where they&#8217;re from (or vice versa) and the answer is a little ambiguous (most Chinese will just say &#8220;China&#8221;), you can say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">___ \u54ea\u91cc?(___ <em>n\u01celi<\/em>?) \u2014 Where in ___?<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the &#8220;where you&#8217;re from&#8221; questions is really to understand what kind of environment you&#8217;re from, so you can use these kinds of words to help them paint a picture of you:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u519c\u6751\u00a0(<em>n\u00f3ngc\u016bn<\/em>) \u2014 Rural area, literally &#8220;village&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5c0f\u57ce\u00a0(<em>xi\u01ceoch\u00e9ng<\/em>) \u2014 Small town<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u57ce\u5e02\u00a0(<em>ch\u00e9ngsh\u00ec<\/em>) \u2014 Big city<\/p>\n<p>If you want to explain how an environment may have influenced you even though you aren&#8217;t directly from there, you can add the word\u00a0\u9644\u8fd1 (<em>f\u00f9j\u00ecn<\/em>) \u2014 &#8220;nearby&#8221; after the description of where you&#8217;re from (e.g., <em>ch\u00e9ngsh\u00ec<\/em> <em>f\u00f9j\u00ecn<\/em> &#8211; near a big city).<\/p>\n<h3>Talking About: Family<\/h3>\n<p>Family is so important in Chinese culture that the language has a specific word for almost every <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/family-in-chinese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">family relationship<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For example, in English we would say &#8220;cousin,&#8221; but in Chinese it&#8217;s &#8220;your mom&#8217;s older sister&#8217;s daughter,&#8221; which is completely different from&#8221;your mom&#8217;s younger sister&#8217;s daughter.&#8221; Understanding your family relationships will help a Chinese person learn about your values and traits.<\/p>\n<p>Someone may ask you how your parents are doing:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u4f60\u7684\u7236\u6bcd\u600e\u4e48\u6837? (<em>n\u01d0 de f\u00f9m\u01d4 z\u011bnme y\u00e0ng?<\/em>) \u2014 How are your parents?<\/p>\n<p>To say your parents are doing well, you can say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u6211\u7684___\u8fd8\u597d<strong>\u2014<\/strong> (<em>w\u01d2 de<\/em> ___\u00a0<em>h\u00e1i h\u01ceo<\/em>) \u2014 My ___ is\/are doing well.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u7236\u6bcd\u00a0(<em>f\u00f9m\u01d4<\/em>) \u2014 Parents<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u7238\u7238 (<em>b\u00e0ba<\/em>) \u2014 Dad<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5988\u5988\u00a0(<em>m\u0101ma<\/em>) \u2014 Mom<\/p>\n<p>You may also be asked if you have any brothers and sisters:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4f60\u6709\u51e0\u4e2a\u5144\u5f1f\u59d0\u59b9? (<em>n\u01d0 y\u01d2u j\u01d0 ge xi\u014dngd\u00ec ji\u011bm\u00e8i?<\/em>) \u2014 How many siblings do you have?<\/p>\n<p>To say how many brothers and sisters you have, you can say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u6709 <em>how many <\/em>\u4e2a <em>relationship<\/em>. (<em>w\u01d2 y\u01d2u<\/em>\u00a0how many\u00a0<em>ge<\/em> relationship) \u2014 I have [however many] of [a certain type of relationship.]<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u54e5\u54e5\u00a0(<em>g\u0113ge<\/em>) \u2014 Older brother<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5f1f\u5f1f\u00a0(<em>d\u00ecdi<\/em>) \u2014 Younger brother<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u59d0\u59d0 (<em>ji\u00e8jie<\/em>) \u2014 Older sister<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u59b9\u59b9\u00a0(<em>m\u00e8imei<\/em>) \u2014 Younger sister<\/p>\n<p>You will likely be asked if you&#8217;re married:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4f60\u7ed3\u5a5a\u4e86\u5417? (<em>n\u01d0 ji\u00e9h\u016bn le ma?<\/em>) \u2014 Are you married?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">If you&#8217;re married, you can say\u00a0\u7ed3\u5a5a\u4e86 (<em>ji\u00e9h\u016bn le<\/em>) \u2014 I&#8217;m married.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">If you&#8217;re dating, you can use the sibling sentence structure, minus the &#8220;how many&#8221; part:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u7537\u670b\u53cb\u00a0(<em>n\u00e1n p\u00e9ngyou<\/em>) \u2014 Boyfriend<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u5973\u670b\u53cb\u00a0(<em>n\u01da p\u00e9ngyou<\/em>) \u2014 Girlfriend<\/p>\n<p>You can use the sibling sentence structure for how many children you have also (if you&#8217;re married, you <em>will<\/em> be asked if you have children):<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5b69\u5b50\u00a0(<em>h\u00e1izi<\/em>) \u2014 Child\/children<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u513f\u5b50\u00a0(<em>\u00e9rzi<\/em>) \u2014 Son<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5973\u513f\u00a0(<em>n\u01da\u00e9r<\/em>) \u2014 Daughter<\/p>\n<h3>Talking About: Your Education and Employment Situation<\/h3>\n<p>A person&#8217;s education and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/job-titles-in-chinese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">job situation<\/a> reflect their current social status.<\/p>\n<p>You might be asked:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4f60\u505a\u4ec0\u4e48\u5de5\u4f5c? (<em>n\u01d0 zu\u00f2 sh\u00e9nme g\u014dngzu\u00f2?<\/em>) \u2014 What do you do for work?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u662f\u4f60\u7684\u4e13\u4e1a\u5417? (<em>sh\u00ec n\u01d0 de zhu\u0101ny\u00e8 ma?<\/em>) \u2014 Is that your profession?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><strong>Note<\/strong>:\u00a0<em>zhu\u0101ny\u00e8<\/em>\u00a0literally means &#8220;profession,&#8221; but the concept generally implies that it was your major in college, as well.<\/p>\n<p>You could reply:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u662f ___ (<em>w\u01d2 sh\u00ec<\/em> ___) \u2014 I&#8217;m a ___<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u505a ___ (<em>w\u01d2 zu\u00f2<\/em> ___) \u2014 I ___<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u4e0a(\u4e86)\u5927\u5b66 (<em>w\u01d2 sh\u00e0ng (le) d\u00e0xu\u00e9<\/em>) \u2014 I attend(ed) a university.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u81ea\u5b66\u7684\u00a0(<em>z\u00ecxu\u00e9 de<\/em>) \u2014 I am self-taught.<\/p>\n<h3>Talking About: Your Income and Your Children&#8217;s Grades (Yeah, This Happens)<\/h3>\n<p>Similar to your education and job situation, your income and your children&#8217;s grades tell about your present situation in caring for yourself and your family, as well as what kind of future you might have. If the conversation gets this far, you will be asked about it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">___ \u600e\u4e48\u6837? (___ <em>z\u011bnme y\u00e0ng<\/em>?) \u2014 How&#8217;s ___?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">___ \u53ef\u4ee5\u5417? (___ <em>k\u011by\u01d0 ma<\/em>?) \u2014 Is ___ good enough?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6210\u7ee9 (<em>ch\u00e9ngj\u00ec<\/em>) \u2014 Grades<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5de5\u8d44\u00a0(<em>g\u014dngz\u012b<\/em>) \u2014 Income<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u8fd8\u53ef\u4ee5 (<em>h\u00e1i k\u011by\u01d0<\/em>) \u2014 &#8220;Not bad.&#8221; Like in English, the tone of your voice shows how &#8220;not bad&#8221; it is.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4e0d\u9519 (<em>b\u00fa cu\u00f2<\/em>) \u2014 Pretty good\/hard to complain.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u5f88\u597d (<em>h\u011bn h\u01ceo<\/em>) \u2014 Very good\/satisfying.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Talking About: Hospitality<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>These conversations typically happen over tea or food. Hospitality is a big part of Chinese culture, so even if it&#8217;s their first time meeting you, they&#8217;ll probably still invite you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/chinese-food-vocabulary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">to tea or a meal<\/a>. This shows their willingness to spend time with you and build\u00a0<em>gu\u0101nxi<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>If you have the time,<strong> do<\/strong> accept their offer to have tea or food. This shows your willingness to spend time with them and build\u00a0<em>gu\u0101nxi<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>They might say something like:\u00a0\u6211\u4eec\u559d\u8336\u5427 (<em>w\u01d2men h\u0113 ch\u00e1 ba<\/em>) \u2014 Let&#8217;s have some tea<\/p>\n<p>You should say:\u00a0\u597d\u7684 (<em>h\u01ceo de<\/em>) or\u00a0\u53ef\u4ee5 (<em>k\u011by\u01d0<\/em>) with a smile. Both phrases carry the &#8220;that sounds good&#8221; meaning, but without the smile, your willingness could be misunderstood as &#8220;I guess I have to.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>You should also ask for their phone number or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/2019\/01\/02\/learn-chinese-wechat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WeChat information<\/a>. If you have time for tea, ask for this contact info before you leave. If you don&#8217;t have time for tea, ask for it so you can make plans to meet again. This shows you view the relationship as worth continuing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u53ef\u4ee5\u7ed9\u4f60\u6211\u7684\u7535\u8bdd\u53f7\u7801\u5417? (<em>k\u011by\u01d0 g\u011bi n\u01d0 w\u01d2 de di\u00e0n hu\u00e0 h\u00e0o m\u01ce ma?<\/em>) \u2014 Could I give you my phone number?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u4eec\u52a0\u5fae\u4fe1\u5427\u00a0(<em>w\u01d2men ji\u0101 w\u0113ix\u00ecn ba<\/em>) \u2014 Let&#8217;s add each other&#8217;s WeChat<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px;\"><strong>Grammar note<\/strong>: Saying <strong>\u5427<\/strong> (<em>ba<\/em>) is very important. It means you&#8217;re suggesting something. If you don&#8217;t say &#8220;ba,&#8221; you&#8217;re <em>telling<\/em> them what to do.<\/p>\n<p>For more formal relationships:\u00a0\u53ef\u4ee5\u52a0\u60a8\u7684\u5fae\u4fe1\u5417? (<em>k\u011by\u01d0 ji\u0101 n\u00edn de w\u0113ix\u00ecn ma<\/em>?) \u2014 Can I add your WeChat?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px;\"><strong>Grammar note<\/strong>:<strong> \u5417<\/strong> (<em>ma<\/em>) is a word that basically adds a question mark to a sentence. For formal relationships, you want to ask permission, not make a suggestion.<\/p>\n<h3>Talking About: What You Do for Fun<\/h3>\n<p>Most conversations between Chinese people don&#8217;t require the &#8220;Where are you from?&#8221; part because they take for granted that they&#8217;re from China. In those cases, they&#8217;ll skip straight from &#8220;What&#8217;s your name?&#8221; to &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/hobbies-in-chinese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What do you like to do?<\/a>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u4f60\u559c\u6b22\u505a\u4ec0\u4e48? (<em>n\u01d0 x\u01d0hu\u0101n zu\u00f2 sh\u00e9nme?<\/em>) \u2014 What do you like to do?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u559c\u6b22 ___ (<em>w\u01d2 x\u01d0hu\u0101n<\/em> ___) \u2014 I like to ___<\/p>\n<p>You may be asked how long you&#8217;ve had that hobby:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u4f60\u4ec0\u4e48\u65f6\u5019\u5f00\u59cb___? (<em>n\u01d0 sh\u00e9nme sh\u00edhou k\u0101ish\u01d0<\/em> ___?) \u2014 When did you start doing ___?<\/p>\n<p>You could respond:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211 ___ \u5c81\u5f00\u59cb\u00a0(<em>w\u01d2 <\/em>___<em> su\u00ec k\u0101ish\u01d0<\/em>) \u2014 I started when I was ___<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u4ece\u5c0f\u559c\u6b22\u00a0(<em>w\u01d2 c\u00f3ng xi\u01ceo x\u01d0hu\u0101n<\/em>) \u2014 I&#8217;ve liked it since I was little<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211 <em>when<\/em>\u6709\u5174\u8da3\u4e86 (<em>w\u01d2<\/em> when\u00a0<em>y\u01d2ux\u00ecngq\u00f9 le<\/em>) \u2014 I got interested at a certain time<\/p>\n<p>At this point, it would be natural for you to volunteer why you like doing what you do:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u6211\u89c9\u5f97\u597d\u73a9\u00a0(<em>w\u01d2 ju\u00e9de h\u01ceo w\u00e1n<\/em>) \u2014 I think it&#8217;s fun, a phrase you can use to express simple enjoyment<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u8ba9\u6211 ___ (<em>r\u00e0ng w\u01d2<\/em> ___) \u2014 It makes me feel a certain way, a phrase that expresses contentment<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u8f7b\u677e\u00a0(<em>q\u012bngs\u014dng<\/em>) \u2014 Relaxed<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u9ad8\u5174\u00a0(<em>g\u0101ox\u00ecng<\/em>) &#8211; Happy<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u671f\u5f85\u00a0(<em>q\u012bd\u00e0i<\/em>) \u2014 Also meaning &#8220;happy,&#8221; but from doing something exciting<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u7ed9\u6211 ___ (<em>g\u011bi w\u01d2<\/em> ___) \u2014 It gives me a certain feeling, a phrase to explain deeper reasons.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u5b89\u5168\u611f\u00a0(<em>\u0101nqu\u00e1ng\u01cen<\/em>) \u2014 A sense of security<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u6ee1\u8db3\u611f\u00a0(<em>m\u01cenz\u00fag\u01cen<\/em>) \u2014 A sense of satisfaction<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u6210\u5c31\u611f (<em>ch\u00e9ngji\u00f9g\u01cen<\/em>) \u2014 A sense of accomplishment<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 80px;\">\u4e00\u70b9\u5e78\u798f\u611f\u00a0(<em>y\u012bdi\u01cen x\u00ecngf\u00fag\u01cen<\/em>) \u2014 A small sense of happiness<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px;\"><strong>Note<\/strong>: <em>x\u00ecngf\u00fa<\/em> is viewed as an ultimate goal in life, so if you reach <em>x\u00ecngf\u00fa<\/em> through your hobbies, they&#8217;ll probably think of you as a very shallow person, or they&#8217;ll conclude you have no idea what you&#8217;re talking about<\/p>\n<h2>Concluding Your Self-Introduction<\/h2>\n<p>At the beginning of the conversation, all you knew was the person&#8217;s name. You didn&#8217;t know anything else about them. Now, after this conversation, you know something about the person, and they know something about you. This is the time to say things such as:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u5f88\u9ad8\u5174\u8ba4\u8bc6\u4f60\u00a0(<em>h\u011bn g\u0101ox\u00ecng r\u00e8nshi n\u01d0<\/em>) \u2014 It was nice to become acquainted with you, literally &#8220;I&#8217;m happy to have become acquainted with you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In a more formal, less developed relationship, you could say:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u8c22\u8c22\u60a8\u7684\u65f6\u95f4 (<em>xi\u00e8xie n\u00edn de sh\u00edji\u0101n<\/em>) \u2014 Thank you for your time. This is especially respectful if the meet-and-greet was short, implying they didn&#8217;t have a lot of time to give you to begin with.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to consolidate what you&#8217;ve learned about Chinese introductions and conversations, you could try a language learning platform like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a> to see how the above phrases and vocabulary work in practice. <span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><p><strong>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<p><\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/NativeAd-Chinese.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n    <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>12 Etiquette Tips for Chinese Conversation<\/h2>\n<p>In Chinese culture, there are certain things you should pay attention to in order to ensure that you are being respectful, such as particular aspects of your body language. Here are 12 tips to take note of:<\/p>\n<p>1. <strong>The older a person is, the more respect they receive in Chinese culture.<\/strong> Calling someone who could be your grandma &#8220;grandma&#8221; is very well received, while calling her &#8220;aunty&#8221; may be viewed as insulting because her life experience wouldn&#8217;t be properly recognized.<\/p>\n<p>2. <strong>Do\u00a0shake hands when introducing yourself in business-relationship settings.<\/strong> This shows respect for the status of the other person.<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>3. However, <strong>do not shake hands when meeting a potential new friend at a coffee shop.<\/strong> You might feel it shows respect for the other person, but to them it doesn&#8217;t show respect for the equal-ness of the relationship. (Of course, the trump card for all of this handshake business is: do shake hands with anyone that wants a handshake, regardless of the situation.)<\/p>\n<p>4. The goal of rejecting compliments is to take the focus off of you and your abilities. The other person will likely emphasize the compliment again. <strong>No matter how many times you hear it, reject it.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>5. If you&#8217;re single, ask and talk about what you like to do with <strong>someone who&#8217;s the same gender as you,<\/strong> unless you&#8217;re looking to start a romantic relationship with the other person.<\/p>\n<p>6. If you&#8217;re married, ask and talk about what you like to do with someone who&#8217;s the same gender as you, unless your significant other is there with you. A married person of the opposite sex having this conversation <strong>might be misunderstood<\/strong> as wanting an external relationship.<\/p>\n<p>7.<strong> Don&#8217;t\u00a0make <em>constant<\/em> eye contact in the conversation.<\/strong> This can be read as defiance, arrogance or even disrespect.<\/p>\n<p>8.<strong> Do<\/strong> <strong>make <em>casual<\/em> eye contact in the conversation.<\/strong> This implies you&#8217;re both paying attention and thinking about what they&#8217;re saying.<\/p>\n<p>9. Don&#8217;t talk about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/backgrounder\/religion-china\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">religion<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Asia-Pacific\/2008\/1218\/p25s08-woap.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">politics<\/a>, sexuality <strong>or any other topic with polarized opinions.<\/strong> Your goal is to find a common ground to build your\u00a0<em>gu\u0101nxi<\/em> on, not to find reasons for conflict. Also, do not\u00a0talk about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sixthtone.com\/news\/1002031\/dealing-with-death%2C-chinas-biggest-taboo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">death<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>10. <strong>Don&#8217;t\u00a0verbally take the initiative to break the relationship out of\u00a0<\/strong><em><strong>n\u01d0n.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Leave that for the other person. Ultimately, they know more about the culture than you do.<\/p>\n<p>11. If you&#8217;re meeting someone over food or drinks, <strong>do fight for the bill when it comes time to pay.<\/strong> This is important because it shows you aren&#8217;t just taking advantage of their generosity. However, do let them pay the bill. This is a way to &#8220;give face&#8221; or \u7ed9\u9762\u5b50 <em>(g\u011bi mi\u00e0n zi<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>12.<strong> Do not<\/strong>\u00a0ask how they are by saying <strong>\u4f60\u597d\u5417<\/strong>? (<em>n\u01d0 h\u01ceo ma<\/em>?), which is the literal translation of &#8220;How are you?&#8221; The English &#8220;How are you?&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.italki.com\/discussion\/16095?hl=en-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">doesn&#8217;t translate well<\/a>, and the &#8220;How are you?&#8221;\u2014&#8221;Good, and you?&#8221;\u2014&#8221;Good&#8221; exchange doesn&#8217;t happen in Chinese.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you just act with self-awareness and cultural respect, Chinese people will be very impressed.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re all ready to go out and build up some good <em>gu\u0101nxi<\/em>!<br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-root=\"1\"><h2>And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">then you'll love FluentU<\/a>.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos\u2014like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12840\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12840\" class=\" wp-image-12840 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-5.png\" alt=\"learn-mandarin-chinese-with-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12840\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU App Browse Screen<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\n<strong>FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions.<\/strong> You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12843\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12843\" class=\"wp-image-12843 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-6.png\" alt=\"learn-mandarin-chinese-with-subtitled-song-and-music-videos\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12843\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Interactive Transcripts on FluentU<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU's <strong>Learn Mode<\/strong> turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_12844\" style=\"width: 330px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12844\" class=\"wp-image-12844 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Chinese-7.png\" alt=\"practice-mandarin-chinese-with-adaptive-quizzes\" width=\"320\" height=\"568\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-12844\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/chinese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU Has Quizzes for Every Video<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned. <strong> You have a 100% personalized experience. <\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The first step in combining Chinese language and culture involves being prepared to introduce yourself in Chinese at any moment. In a culture based on (gu\u0101nxi &#8211; relationships), it&#8217;s crucial&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":800,"featured_media":251848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese: A Complete Guide | FluentU Chinese Blog","description":"Introducing yourself in Chinese involves so much more than learning to say \"Hello.\" We have everything you need to know about how to introduce yourself in Chinese, including how to talk about yourself, your family, your job and more."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[724,725],"tags":[],"coauthors":[837],"class_list":["post-182638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chinese","category-chinese-vocabulary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/800"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=182638"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253728,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182638\/revisions\/253728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=182638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=182638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=182638"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=182638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}