Zài jiàn - 再見/再见 - Goodbye
Audio links are marked with ►
In the previous lesson we learned about Mandarin Chinese tones. Remember to always learn new vocabulary with its proper tones. Let's practice by saying "Goodbye" in Mandarin Chinese.
►zài jiàn - Saying "Goodbye" in Mandarin Chinese
Each of the two characters of zài jiàn - 再見/再见 are pronounced in the fourth (falling) tone. Listen to the sound file and try to repeat the tones exactly as you hear them.
Zài jiàn is two syllables, each represented by a Chinese character. It is possible to examine the meaning of each character, but it is important to remember that zài jiàn is a complete phrase. Chinese characters have individual meanings, but the majority of Mandarin vocabulary is made of compounds of two or more characters.
For interests sake, here are the possible translations of the two characters 再見 (traditional) 再见 (simplified).
zài - 再
- again
- once more
- next in sequence
- another
jiàn - 見/见
- to see
- to meet
- to appear (to be something)
- to interview
So a possible translation of zài jiàn - 再見/再见 is "again to meet". But don't think of zài jiàn - 再見/再见 as two words - it is one phrase that means "goodbye".
Other Ways To Say Goodbye
Here are some other common ways to say "goodbye". Listen to the sound files and try to reproduce the tones as closely as possible.
- ►míng tiān jiàn - 明天見/明天见 - see you tomorrow
- ►yī huĭr jiàn - 一會兒見/一会儿见 - see you later (the same day)
- ►huí tóu jiàn - 回頭見/回头见 - see you later (the same day)
