Chinese word

很高兴

Pronunciation

Pinyinhěn gāo xìng

Meaning

  • adjectivehappy

Example

我很高兴认识你。wǒ hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ

I am very happy to meet you.

Illustration for 很高兴 (happy)

More examples

听到你通过考试，我很高兴。tīng dào nǐ tōng guò kǎo shì wǒ hěn gāo xìng

I am very happy to hear that you passed the exam.

Core concept

A brief rise in good feeling, whether felt inwardly or expressed to keep a friendly conversation warm.

Common phrases

  • 很高兴认识你hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ

    happy to meet you

  • 很高兴见到你hěn gāo xìng jiàn dào nǐ

    happy to see you

  • 感到很高兴gǎn dào hěn gāo xìng

    feel happy

Similar words

高兴gāo xìng: Feeling pleased or happy about something that has happened.
开心kāi xīn: Feeling cheerful and lighthearted, with a bright mood.
快乐kuài lè: Feeling happy and fulfilled, with a broad sense of well-being.
愉快yú kuài: Feeling pleasant and comfortable, especially during an experience or time.

Definition in Chinese

用来表达当下或短暂的喜悦，也常作为客套话在见面或回应好消息时使用。yòng lái biǎo dá dāng xià huò duǎn zàn de xǐ yuè yě cháng zuò wéi kè tào huà zài jiàn miàn huò huí yìng hǎo xiāo xī shí shǐ yòng

Word origin

The phrase 很高兴 (hěngāoxìng, "happy") places 很 (hěn, "very") before 高 (gāo, "high") + 兴 (xìng, "spirit"), linking the expression to elevated spirits.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often treat very as a strong word, but the degree marker here can simply make an adjective sound complete and natural.

Other meanings

  • be pleasedverb
  • be delightedverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word