Chinese Conversation · Level 72
90 words
Chinese word
寒暄
Pronunciation
Pinyinhán xuān
Meaning
- verbexchange greetings
Example
早上见到老师，我们在门口互相寒暄了一会儿。zǎo shàng jiàn dào lǎo shī wǒ men zài mén kǒu hù xiāng hán xuān le yí huìr
When we saw the teacher in the morning, we exchanged greetings at the entrance for a while.
More examples
早上路上遇到楼下的阿姨，我和她寒暄了一下。zǎo shàng lù shàng yù dào lóu xià de ā yí wǒ hé tā hán xuān le yí xià
On my way in the morning, I ran into the woman who lives downstairs and exchanged a few pleasantries with her.
Core concept
A courteous bridge between people, built from short greetings and light conversation.
Common phrases
寒暄一下hán xuān yí xià
exchange a few pleasantries
跟邻居寒暄gēn lín jū hán xuān
exchange greetings with a neighbor
与同事寒暄yǔ tóng shì hán xuān
exchange greetings with a coworker
Similar words
问候wèn hòu: Expresses concern for someone's health or recent situation while greeting them.
打招呼dǎ zhāo hū: Says a brief hello to someone when meeting them.
招呼zhāo hū: Calls out to someone directly as a greeting.
Definition in Chinese
用礼貌的言语互相问候，既可作为短暂的招呼，也可作为社交场合用来维持礼节的客套话。yòng lǐ mào de yán yǔ hù xiāng wèn hòu jì kě zuò wéi duǎn zàn de zhāo hū yě kě zuò wéi shè jiāo chǎng hé yòng lái wéi chí lǐ jié de kè tào huà
Word origin
寒暄 (hánxuān, "cold and warm") joins the contrast of cold and warm in an old weather-related greeting and later came to mean polite social talk more generally.
Usage tips
- The word is useful when the purpose of a few words is to keep an interaction smooth rather than to discuss a serious topic, a nuance often left unstated by the English word chat.
Other meanings
- make small talkverb
- exchange pleasantriesverb
Opposites
- 无视wú shìignoreverb