The word for “busy” in Mandarin Chinese is máng. It is common to greet friends and acquaintances by asking them if they are busy: Nǐ máng bù máng.
Business people might reply that they are tài máng (too busy), but those with more time on their hands will likely say bù máng (not busy) or hái hǎo (so so).
The character for máng is 忙, which simply translates as “busy.”
Examples of Máng
Click on the links to hear the audio.
Jīntiān wǒ hěn máng.
今天我很忙｡
今天我很忙｡
I am very busy today.
Tāmen dōu hěn máng.
他們都很忙｡
他们都很忙｡
All of them are busy.
