2. Varieties of Chinese and English greetings
Greeting expressions are abundant in English and Chinese. They can be classified in various ways.
2.1 Greetings classified according to time
Greetings in both languages seem to vary with time: some greetings can be used for any day or at any time of the day whereas others cannot. They can be divided into the following subcategories:
(1) All-time greetings, (2) Real-time greetings
(3) Seasonal greetings, (4) Introductory greetings,
(5) Ceremonial greetings.
All-time greetings are those not contained in usage by the time: they can be used by for any and at any time of day. For example: Hello! /Hi! (你好!) /How are you? (你身体好吗?)
Real-time are those used in close relation to the time of the day: each of them can only be used at a specific time of the day accordingly. For example: Good morning! (早上好!)/ Good afternoon! (下午好!)/Good evening! (晚上好!)
Seasonal greetings are those used only on some special days, such as Christmas, New Year’s Day. For example: Happy New Year! (新年好!) Merry Christmas! (圣诞节快乐!) Good luck for everything. (万事如意!)
Introductory greetings are those used when two people are introduced to each other. For example: How do you do!
Ceremonial greetings are those used at birthdays, wedding ceremonies, and other occasions. For example: Happy birthday! (生日快乐!) Congratulations! (恭喜!)
2.2 Greetings classified according to formality
Greetings vary with speech style. They can be classified according to their formality of usages.
正式的问候语 非正式的问候语
(1) Formal greetings (2) Informal greetings
Formal greetings are those used on important occasions where maximum attention needs to be paid to speech and where speakers must be very polite. For example: How do you do? 您好!
Informal greetings are those used in conversations to create a relaxed language environment. For example: Hello! 你好!
Greeting expressions are abundant in English and Chinese. They can be classified in various ways.
2.1 Greetings classified according to time
Greetings in both languages seem to vary with time: some greetings can be used for any day or at any time of the day whereas others cannot. They can be divided into the following subcategories:
(1) All-time greetings, (2) Real-time greetings
(3) Seasonal greetings, (4) Introductory greetings,
(5) Ceremonial greetings.
All-time greetings are those not contained in usage by the time: they can be used by for any and at any time of day. For example: Hello! /Hi! (你好!) /How are you? (你身体好吗?)
Real-time are those used in close relation to the time of the day: each of them can only be used at a specific time of the day accordingly. For example: Good morning! (早上好!)/ Good afternoon! (下午好!)/Good evening! (晚上好!)
Seasonal greetings are those used only on some special days, such as Christmas, New Year’s Day. For example: Happy New Year! (新年好!) Merry Christmas! (圣诞节快乐!) Good luck for everything. (万事如意!)
Introductory greetings are those used when two people are introduced to each other. For example: How do you do!
Ceremonial greetings are those used at birthdays, wedding ceremonies, and other occasions. For example: Happy birthday! (生日快乐!) Congratulations! (恭喜!)
2.2 Greetings classified according to formality
Greetings vary with speech style. They can be classified according to their formality of usages.
正式的问候语 非正式的问候语
(1) Formal greetings (2) Informal greetings
Formal greetings are those used on important occasions where maximum attention needs to be paid to speech and where speakers must be very polite. For example: How do you do? 您好!
Informal greetings are those used in conversations to create a relaxed language environment. For example: Hello! 你好!