How to say “long time no see” in Chinese
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Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Word by word
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Two sandhi shifts: 好久 (3+3 → háo jiǔ) and 不 before the fourth-tone 见 (bù → bú). The English 'long time no see' is a direct calque of this phrase.
In a sentence
Hǎojiǔ bújiàn, nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?
Long time no see, how have you been?
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
How do you say "long time no see" in Chinese?+
"long time no see" in Mandarin Chinese is 好久不见, pronounced hǎojiǔ bújiàn. Two sandhi shifts: 好久 (3+3 → háo jiǔ) and 不 before the fourth-tone 见 (bù → bú). The English 'long time no see' is a direct calque of this phrase.
What does 好久不见 mean literally?+
好久不见 breaks down as 好久 (hǎojiǔ) = a long time, 不 (bù) = not, 见 (jiàn) = to see. Together it means "long time no see".
How do I get the tones right in hǎojiǔ bújiàn?+
Two sandhi shifts: 好久 (3+3 → háo jiǔ) and 不 before the fourth-tone 见 (bù → bú). The English 'long time no see' is a direct calque of this phrase.
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