你 好 nǐ hǎo = Hello to say hello to the person who is around your age
您 好 nín hǎo = Hello to say hello to the person older than you or your superior or your clients
Dialogue
Note: Common greetings between colleagues
A: 你 好 !
nǐ hǎo !
Hello! (I Wish you have a good day!)
B: 你 好 ， John !
nǐ hǎo , John !
Hello, John! (I Wish you have a good day too!)
Note: Common greetings between boss and worker
A: 老 板 ， 您 好 !
lǎo bǎn , nín hǎo !
Hello, boss! (polite)
B: 你 好 !
ní hǎo !
Hello! (The same to you!)
Vocabulary
你 nǐ pron. you
您 nín pron. you (respectful use: courteous, as opposed to informal 你)
好 hǎo adj. good (in this lesson)
Expansion
Other common greetings: How to say “Good Morning”, “Good Afternoon”, “Good Evening”in Chinese
早 上 好
zǎo shàng hǎo
Tips: The word “早上”(zǎo shàng ) means morning, “好”(hǎo) means good.
早 上 + 好 = 早 上 好(Morning + good= Good morning)
zǎo shàng + hǎo = zǎo shàng hǎo
A: 早 上 好 ， 老 师 !
zǎo shàng hǎo , lǎo shī !
Good morning, teacher!
B: 早 上 好 !
zǎo shàng hǎo !
Good morning!
下午好
xià wǔ hǎo
Tips: The word “下午”(xià wǔ) means afternoon, “好”(hǎo) means good.
下午 + 好 = 下午好(Afternoon + good= Good afternoon)
xià wǔ + hǎo = xià wǔ hǎo
A: 下 午 好 !
xià wǔ hǎo !
Good afternoon!
B: 下 午 好 !
xià wǔ hǎo !
Good afternoon!
晚 上 好
wǎn shàng hǎo
Tips: The word “晚上”(wǎn shàng ) means evening, “好”(hǎo) means good.
晚 上 + 好 = 晚 上 好(Evening + good= Good evening)
wǎnshàng + hǎo = wǎn shàng hǎo
A: 晚 上 好 !
wǎn shàng hǎo !
Good evening!
B: 晚 上 好 !
wǎn shàng hǎo !
Good evening!
Grammar
你VS您
Nǐ vs nǐn
你(nǐ) means you (informal), as opposed to courteous 您.
The person spoken to or written to is around your age or social position, such as your classmates, colleagues, your junior.
您(nín) means you (polite) as opposed to informal 你.
The person spoken to or written to is older than you, such as your superior or your client.
Contrasting Examples:
A: 奶 奶 , 您 好 !
nǎi nai , nín hǎo !
Hello, grandma! (polite)
B: 你 好 , Lucy !
nǐ hǎo , Lucy !
Hi, Lucy! (informal)