If you read my post: How to greet people in Mandarin-Chinese (I) —— How to Say Hello, you might know how to greet Chinese people like a native speaker now.
In this post, I will continue talking about this topic to teach you how to say goodbye.
As you might know, 再见 (zai4 jian4) is the most common word to say goodbye in all situations in Mandarin-Chinese, however, there are other ways to say goodbye as well.
Read the following list to learn more.
1, 再会 (zai4 hui4).
This is another version of 再见 but not as common as 再见. It is more traditional and formal.
It is usually spoken by the educated people or in a very formal situation when you wish to show the respect for the person.
This greeting word is usually used in the meeting. Sometimes you might see an radio or TV host say this word to his audiences to show his respect.
2, 再联系 (zai4 lian2 xi4). It means: keep in touch again.
This greeting can be used on the phone talk or in person meeting.
When you say goodbye (再见) to the person on the phone or in person, you can also add this word to show your caring feeling.
3, 明天见(ming2 tian1 jian4) (see you tomorrow) or 下次见 (xia4 ci4 jian4) (see you next time).
明天 or 下次, it depends on the specific situation and context.
If you will see the person tomorrow for sure, then you say 明天见. If you have no idea when you will meet him again, then you say: 下次见.
If you have a phone talk and you are sure you will meet the person, you can say: 明天见 or you can just say: 下次聊 (xia4 ci4 liao2) (chat next time) instead of 下次见 (xia4 ci4 jian4).
You can also say: 回头见 (hui2 tou2 jian4) or 回见(hui2 jian4), both means: see you soon.
4, 拜拜(bai4 bai). This newly formed word is actually the direct sound translation from English word ” bye bye”, as you might know already, it means: goodbye.
Now more and more young Chinese people start to use this word, even some old people will say this word too if you say 拜拜 first.
This word can be used on both phone and in person meeting.
5, 有空再聊 (you3 kong4 zai4 liao2). It means: Let’s chat when we have time. It is a polite way to say goodbye.
When you hear this word, you should know it is the time to stop talking. This word can be used on both phone talk and in person meeting.
6, 我要走了(wo3 yao4 zou3 le) (I’m going to leave). It is another alternative word to say goodbye.
This greeting word is used when people meet in person. When your friend says this word, it means he is going to end the conversation and says goodbye.
Usually, 有空再聊 comes after 我要走了. For example, when you say: 我要走了, then it is polite to add: 有空再聊.
Then you friend will say: 好 (hao3) (OK), 有空再聊 (you3 kong4 zai4 liao2) or 有空再来 (you3 kong4 zai4 lai2) (come again when you have time ) if your friend is the host.
You might know now that Chinese people like to combine several goodbye words to show his politeness and hospitality.
According to Chinese’s customs, if a person comes to your place and when it is time to say goodbye, the host should be polite to show the guest out of the house, apartment or the entrance of the apartment building, even to the car if the guest drives a car.
If it is night time, it is always polite to turn on the front light on the door if you have one.
If the guest drives the car, the host might say: 开慢点 (kai1 man4 dian3) (drive slowly) or the host will say: 慢走 (man2 zou3), it means: walk slowly. It is a polite way to say this caring word to the guest.
As a polite guest, when the host tries to show you out, you can say in a very formal way 请留步 (qing3 liu2 bu4) (please stay, don’t bother to see me out) or 不用送 (bu2 yong4 song4) (don’t need show me out).
7, 我挂电话了 (wo3 gua4 dian4 hua4 le) (I’m going to hang up the phone.) or just simple as: 挂了啊 (gua4 le a) (hang up now). Obviously, this word is used on the phone talk.
When you try to end the conversation on the phone, you can say something like: 没事了吧 (mei2 shi4 le ba) (no any issues?), then you say: 我挂电话了 or 我挂了啊 or 我挂 了.
Then the person on the other line will get your intention, he usually will say: 挂吧 (gua4 ba) (hang up the phone) and say 再见, then you say 再见.
Or you can also say: 那就这样 (na4 jiu4 zhe4 yang4) (that is it) to end the phone talk, then say 有空再聊 or 再见. Your friend will say: 好的 (hao3 de) (OK)，有空再聊。再见。
8, 我先告辞了(wo3 xian1 gao4 ci2 le) (I’am going to leave first). This word is a formal and polite way to say goodbye in Mandarin-Chinese. It is usually used in formal situations or a conversation between educated people in the meeting.
9, 失陪了 (shi1 pei2 le) (sorry for not being the accompany).
This word is a polite word to say goodbye too. It is used usually in a specific situation: When someone has to leave the conversation, meeting or party because of some reason, he will say this word to the rest of people to show his apology.
For example, he might say something like this: 不好意思(bu4 hao3 yi4 si1) (sorry)，我有事要先走了(wo3 you3 shi4 yao4 xian1 zou3 le) (I have to leave earlier because of the matter), 失陪了 (sorry for not being the accompany).
This word is used only in the in person meeting. Usually, his friend or the guest will say something like: 没关系 (mei2 guan1 xi4) (it is OK)，你走吧 (ni3 zou3 ba) (you are free to leave)。再见.
Now you know how to say goodbye like a Chinese native speaker now. Next time When you have a meeting or conversation with your Chinese friend, don’t forget to practice what you learned from these two posts.
I am sure your Chinese friends will be very impressed with your Mandarin-Chinese knowledge. Enjoy your learning.