introduce myself essay in chinese

Introduce Yourself in Chinese with Self-Introduction Speech Examples

How to introduce yourself in chinese.

It is not difficult to introduce yourself in Chinese language as they are fixed answers which you memorise about yourself. However, it is not that easy to be able to understand all the variations of questions asked. Therefore, in this article, you will also learn about various ways of questioning and response, so you know they mean the same thing and handle the Chinese self-introduction with ease.

For a start, I have prepared three articles below with audio on self-introduction speech examples, changing the variation of replies in Chinese for beginners when you introduce yourself in Mandarin. The questions and answers will revolve around: –

① Chinese Greetings and Pronouns ② Your Name and Surname ③ Your Age ④ Your Country and Nationality ⑤ Your Hobby and Interest ⑥ Your Relationship and Marital Status

It is always a good practice to read and listen in Mandarin to guess the meaning of the articles before looking at the English translation.

Chinese Self-Introduction Essay and Speech Samples

你们好！ 我叫芮。 其实，芮是我的姓氏。我是华人。我来自新加坡。不过，我现在居住安特卫普，比利时的一个美丽城市。我有一个英俊的比利时男友。我会说英语、华语、广东话、法语和荷兰语。现在，我和你们一样，都在学习语言。我每天要去学校上荷兰语课。

平时，在业余时间，我写博客和上网查询资料。在周末，我喜欢和我的男朋友一起骑自行车，拍照，购物和吃饭。 我最喜欢去餐馆吃中餐。我的最爱是旅行。我去过很多国家。

那你呢？请你自我介绍，告诉我平时你喜欢做些什么？请留言。

Hāi! Dú zhě men,

Nǐ men hǎo!  Wǒ jiào Ruì. Qí shí, Ruì shì wǒ de xìng shì. Wǒ shì huá rén. Wǒ lái zì xīn jiā pō. Bù guò, wǒ xiàn zài jū zhù ān tè wèi pǔ, bǐ lì shí de yī gè měi lì chéng shì. Wǒ yǒu yīgè yīng jùn de bǐ lì shí nán yǒu. Wǒ huì shuō yīng yǔ, huá yǔ, guǎng dōng huà, fǎ yǔ hé hé lán yǔ.  Xiàn zài, wǒ hé nǐ men yī yàng, dōu zài xué xí yǔ yán. Wǒ měi tiān yào qù xué xiào shàng hé lán yǔ kè.

Píng shí, zài yè yú shí jiān, wǒ xiě bó kè hé shàng wǎng chá xún zī liào. Zài zhōu mò, wǒ xǐ huān hé wǒ de nán péng yǒu yī qǐ qí zì xíng chē, pāi zhào, gòu wù hé chī fàn. Wǒ zuì xǐ huān qù cān guǎn chī zhōng cān. Wǒ de zuì ài shì lǚ xíng. Wǒ qù guò hěn duō guó jiā.

Nà nǐ ne? Qǐng nǐ zì wǒ jiè shào, gào sù wǒ píng shí nǐ xǐ huān zuò xiē shén me? Qǐng liú yán.

Hi Readers, 

How are you? I am called Rui. In fact, Rui is my surname. I am a Chinese. I come from Singapore. However, I am now living in Antwerp, a beautiful city in Belgium. I have a handsome Belgian boyfriend. I can speak English, Mandarin, Cantonese, French, and Dutch.

Now, I am like you, learning a language too. Every day, I go to school for my Dutch class. Usually, during my spare time, I blog and surf the internet for information. During the weekend, I like to cycle with my boyfriend, take photographs, shopping and eating. I also like going to restaurants to eat Chinese food. My favourite is travelling. I have been to many countries.

How about you? Please introduce yourself. Tell me what do you usually like to do? Please leave a message.

我的名字是彼得。 我今年27岁。 我从美国来的。 我还单身，也没有女朋友。 我会说英语和一点点西班牙语。我也在学习汉语。可是，我的中文说的不太好，还可以在进步。

我想去中国旅行。我对中国的文化和语言很感兴趣。我希望找一位中国女友。我可以向她学习中文。我也能教她英语。我很好动。平时，我喜欢做运动, 例如跑步和游泳。

Hāi! Nín hǎo!

Wǒ de míng zì shì Bǐ Dé. Wǒ jīn nián 27 suì. Wǒ cóng měi guó lái de. Wǒ hái dān shēn, yě méi yǒu nǚ péng yǒu. Wǒ huì shuō yīng yǔ hé yī diǎn diǎn xī bān yá yǔ. Wǒ yě zài xué xí hàn yǔ. Kěs hì, wǒ de zhōng wén shuō de bù tài hǎo, hái kěyǐ zài jìn bù.

Wǒ xiǎng qù zhōng guó lǚ xíng. Wǒ duì zhōng guó de wén huà hé yǔ yán hěn gǎn xìng qù. Wǒ xī wàng zhǎo yī wèi zhōng guó nǚ yǒu. Wǒ kě yǐ xiàng tā xué xí zhōng wén. Wǒ yě néng jiào tā yīngyǔ. Wǒ hěn hào dòng. Píng shí, wǒ xǐ huān zuò yùn dòng, lì rú pǎo bù hé yóu yǒng.

My name is Peter. I am 27 years old this year. I come from the United States. I am still single and also do not have a girlfriend. I speak English and some Spanish. Now, I am also learning Chinese. However, I do not speak Mandarin so well. It can still be improved.

I wish to travel to China. I am very interested in Chinese culture and language. I hope to find a Chinese girlfriend. I can learn Chinese from her. I can teach her English. I am very active. Usually, I like to exercise such as jogging and swimming.

我是爱丽丝。大家都叫我丝丝。我是加拿大人。十年前，我从加拿大搬迁到台湾工作。我学了五年的中文，现在能说一口流利的华语。我现年四十岁。 我已婚，嫁给了一位台湾人。我有两个孩子，一个儿子和一个女儿。

我的嗜好是烹饪、阅读、听音乐和教书。我是一名教师。 我会说流利的英语、华语、 法语和一点点葡萄牙语。我不太喜欢做运动。不过，我很喜欢旅行，到处走走。

Hāi! Nǐ hǎo! 

Wǒ shì Ài Lì Sī. Dà jiā dōu jiào wǒ Sī Sī. Wǒ shì jiā ná dà rén. Shí nián qián, wǒ cóng jiā ná dà bān qiān dào tái wān gōng zuò. Wǒ xué le wǔ nián de zhōng wén, xiàn zài néng shuō yī kǒu liú lì de huá yǔ. Wǒ xiàn nián sì shí suì. Wǒ yǐ hūn, jià gěi le yī wèi tái wān rén. Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè há izi, yīgè er zi hé yī gè nǚ’ér.

Wǒ de shì hào shì pēng rèn, yuè dú, tīng yīn yuè hé jiāo shū. Wǒ shì yī míng jiào shī. Wǒ huì shuō liú lì de yīng yǔ, huá yǔ, fǎ yǔ hé yī diǎn diǎn pú táo yá yǔ. Wǒ bù tài xǐ huān zuò yùn dòng. Bù guò, wǒ hěn xǐ huān lǚ xíng, dào chù zǒu zǒu.

Hello, my name is Alice. Everyone call me Si Si. I’m a Canadian. Ten years ago, I relocated from Canada to work in Taiwan. I have studied Chinese for five years. Now, I speak Mandarin fluently. This year, I am 40 years old. I am married to a Taiwanese. I have two children, a son and a daughter.

My hobby is cooking, reading, listening to music and teaching. I am a teacher. I speak fluent English, Mandarin, French and a little bit of Portuguese. I do not like so much to do sports. However, I enjoy travelling and walk around.

① Chinese Greetings and Pronouns

How to say “hello” in chinese.

For the Chinese, it is common to greet in person with  嗨！你好! It has a similar connotation as “Hello, how are you?” but not a question asked like 你好吗？ to get a response. The Chinese greeting means “ You are fine! ” Since the tone of the sentence is an exclamation mark, the other party is not expected to give a reply to 你好!

The pronouns used in the three self-introduction speech in Chinese is: –

• 读者们  |    dú zhě men |  Readers
• 你们 | nǐ men | You (Plural)
• 您 |   nín | You (Formal address of someone of a higher authority, a stranger or out of courtesy)
• 你 |   nǐ | You (Singular. Informal way and most commonly used to address among friends and people)

Whenever you see the word 们 | mén , with a pronoun, it always refers to a plural form of a pronoun. You can virtually place the Chinese plural word 们 behind any nouns, but usually for humans and animals.

② What is Your Name? Introduce Yourself in Chinese

The first sentence that most people learn is likely “What is your name?”. In a more formal setting, you can be asked to introduce yourself instead of someone asking you to say your name. Both sentences can be applied at the same time too.

How to Say “What is Your Name” in Chinese?

What is your name? Please introduce yourself OR Please self-introduced.

你叫什么名字? 请介绍一下你自己。 ( 或者 | or)  请自我介绍。

Nǐ jiào shén me míng zì? Qǐng jiè shào yī xià nǐ zì jǐ. (huò zhě) Qǐng zì wǒ jiè shào.

How to Say “What is Your Surname?” in Chinese? – Formal

Here, you can see the formal pronoun 您 | you being used asking for only the surname (family name) instead of the person’s name. The person asking for only the family name wants to address the other party as Mr, Mrs or Miss + Surname.

One example is a shop assistant serving his customer. The Chinese find it more respectful to call a person by the surname when they do not know him well or when the status is higher. However, the person replying back do not need to use 您 and may use  你 instead.

I presume that if you are a foreigner especially a Caucasian, the Chinese would not ask you this question. Next time, you can also ask  您贵姓？ to Chinese people if you meet them for the first time.

What is your surname? (Polite)

您贵姓？ Nín guì xìng?

My surname is Li. How about you?

我姓李。那你呢？ Wǒ xìng Lǐ. Nà nǐ ne?

Hi, Mr Lee. My surname is Rui. Pleased to meet you! / It is an honour to meet you!

李先生，您好。我姓芮。幸会，幸会！ Lǐ xiān shēng, nǐn hǎo. Wǒ xìng Ruì. Xìng huì, xìng huì!

How to Say “Who Are You” in Chinese?

Asking someone “Who are you?” is an abrupt and less friendly way when asking for a self-introduction. However, it has to depend on the tone used and the situation. 你是谁? can have an implied meaning of curiosity, uncertainty, suspicion or fear.

Example – You went to your friend’s house to look for her. She was not at home. The mother opened the house and saw you. She asked，“ 你是谁呀? ” Then, you have to introduce yourself in Mandarin.

Who are you?

你是谁（呀)? Nǐ shì shéi (ya)?

How to Say “My Name is … ” in Chinese?

There are three ways that you can introduce yourself with “My name is ___”.

a) I am called Rui. b) My name is Peter. c) I am Alice. Everyone calls me Si Si (nickname). You can call me Alicia or Si Si.

a) 我叫芮。 b) 我的名字是彼得。 c) 我是爱丽丝。大家都叫我丝丝。你可以叫我爱丽丝或者是丝丝。

a) Wǒ jiào Ruì. b) Wǒ de míng zì shì Bǐ dé. c) Wǒ shì Ài Lì Sī. Dà jiā dōu jiào wǒ sī sī. Nǐ kě yǐ jiào wǒ Ài Lì Sī huò zhě shì Sī Sī.

③ How Old Are You?

The first two questions are common ways to ask someone their age. You can refer to the Chinese numbers of your age.

How to Say “What is Your Age” in Chinese?

What is your age?

a) 你今年几岁了？(或者 | or)  今年你几岁了？ b) 你今年多少岁了？

a) Nǐ jīn nián jǐ suì le? (huò zhě) Jīn nián nǐ jǐ suì le? b) Nǐ jīn nián duō shǎo suì le?

How to Say “How Old are You” in Chinese?

To ask someone’s age, “How OLD” in Chinese, is not a direct translation of the English word “old”. The literal translation of “How old” would be “ 多老 “. “老” means aged, senior. Please do not ask someone “ 你多老? ” because the Chinese will never ask a person’s age this way. It is quite offensive to use the Chinese word 老 | lǎo when talking to someone.

Instead, we use the phrase “how big – 多大 ” to ask someone’s age. Note that the phrase “ 多大 ” can have an ambiguous meaning. It can directly refer to the size of the object that you are discussing and not about age. The preferred sentence is still 你今年几岁了？ when meeting someone for the first time.

How old are you?

a) 你多大年纪？ b) 你多大年龄? c) 你多大了?

a) Nǐ duō dà nián jì?  b) Nǐ duō dà nián líng? c) Nǐ duō dà le?

How to Say “How old are you” in a Formal Way?

However, it is considered abrupt and rude to ask a senior, elderly or someone respectable on their age with the sentence construction above. In a formal situation or writing, we ask people on their age with 您今年贵庚? It is more polite asking when you hold high regard for someone.

How old are you? (Formal)

您今年贵庚? Nín jīn nián guì gēng?

How to Say “Your Age” in Chinese?

It is easy to say your age in Chinese. There are not many variations. You only have to know the Chinese numbers so you can tell your age to others.

I am 35 years old this year.

我今年35岁。 Wǒ jīn nián sān shí wǔ suì.

Pardon! My Age is Confidential!

Women are more reserved and sensitive when it comes to divulging their age especially Chinese women. Looks matter to many of them and they care about how people look at them.

Many of them also spend a lot of money, time and effort to maintain their youth. They hope to give a lasting impression of looking young forever.

Therefore, if you do not know a Chinese woman long enough, refrain from asking her age as you never know how she feels about telling it to you. Maybe she is fine with the question. Or, perhaps she does not like it and would not say it frankly.

Sorry, my age is a secret. Woman‘s age is always confidential.

不好意思，我的年龄是秘密。 女人的年龄是保密的。 Bù hǎo yì si, wǒ de nián líng shì mì mì. Nǚrén de nián líng shì bǎo mì de.

④ Where Are You From?

When someone asks you “where are you from”, you can tell them either your country of origin or your nationality. It is not necessary to say both unless you have a different nationality than that of the country that you live.

How to Say ” Where are you from” in Chinese?

Where are you from? 

你从哪里来？(或者 | or) 你来自哪里？ Nǐ cóng nǎ lǐ lái? (huò zhě) Nǐ lái zì nǎ lǐ?

How to Say “Which country are you from” in Chinese?

Which country are you from?

你来自什么国家?  (或者 | or) 你从什么国家来的？ Nǐ lái zì shén me guó jiā? (huò zhě) Nǐ cóng shén me guó jiā lái de?

How to Say “What is Your Nationality” in Chinese?

How to say Nationality  国籍 | Guó jí in Chinese? Most of the time, you use the ｛name of the country + 人 ｜people｝to derive the nationality.

Which country are you from? OR Who are you?

a) 你是什么国家的人? (或者 | or) 你是什么人？ b) 你是哪里人?

a) Nǐ lái zì shén me guó jiā?  (huò zhě) Nǐ cóng shén me guó jiā lái de? b) Nǐ shì nǎ lǐ rén?

How to Say “Do You Come from (Country)” or “Are You (Nationality)” in Chinese?

Do you come from America? Are you an American?

你从美国来的吗？你是美国人吗？ Nǐ cóng měi guó lái de ma? Nǐ shì měi guó rén ma?

How to Say “Your Country and Nationality” in Chinese?

I am American, from California.

我是美国人，来自加州。 Wǒ shì měi guó rén, lái zì jiā zhōu.

I come from Germany (or) I am from Germany (Berlin).

我从德国来  (或者 | or) 我来自德国(柏林)。 Wǒ cóng dé guó lái (huò zhě) wǒ lái zì dé guó (bó lín).

I come from Italy but I am a Turk.

我来自意大利，但我是土耳其人。 Wǒ lái zì yì dà lì, dàn wǒ shì tǔ’ěr qí rén.

I am not Dutch. I am French.

我不是荷兰人。我是法国人。 Wǒ bù shì hé lán rén. Wǒ shì fà guó rén.

I do not come from England. I am Australian.

我不是从英国来的。我是澳大利亚人。 Wǒ bù shì cóng yīng guó lái de. Wǒ shì ào dà lì yǎ rén.

⑤ What Do You Like to Do? Hobby and Interest

The questions below are all referring to the same things. That is your hobbies and interests. Sometimes, the word 平时 ｜ píng shí is added and means ‘usually’. I will prepare a list of activities about hobbies and interests in the near future so you can make references to what you like to do.

How to Say “What Do You Like to Do” in Chinese?

What do you like to do?

你喜欢做(些)什么？ Nǐ xǐ huān zuò (xiē) shén me?

I like jogging and swimming.

我喜欢跑步和游泳。 Wǒ xǐ huān pǎo bù hé yóu yǒng.

How to Say “What is Your Interest” in Chinese?

What is your interest?

你的兴趣是什么？ Nǐ de xìng qù shì shén me?

My interest is surfing the net and shopping.

我的兴趣是上网和逛街。 Wǒ de xìngqù shì shàng wǎng hé guàng jiē.

How to Say “What is Your Hobby” in Chinese?

What is your hobby?

你的嗜好是什么 你的爱好是什么?

Nǐ de shì hào shì shén me? Nǐ de ài hào shì shén me?

My hobby is reading, listing to music and watching movies.

我的嗜好是。。。阅读、听音乐和看电影。 Wǒ de shì hào shì yuè dú, tīng yīn yuè hé kàn diàn yǐng.

⑥ What is Your Marital Status?

Western men looking for a Chinese girlfriend would always be happy to declare that he is single and available. He also wants to know whether they are still single and available or married. It is just an illustration and applies to anyone who wants to say about their relationship status.

How to Say “What is Your Marital Status” or “Relationship Status” in Chinese?

To be honest, I have never had anyone asked me about my marital status 你的婚姻状况是什么? except when filling up forms because it sounds too formal. Many would just ask me about my relationship status “Are you married?” or “Do you have a boyfriend?”

It is always good to know the Chinese phrase ‘marital status’ for administration purpose and the different status as part of introducing yourself in Chinese to others.

What is your Marital Status?

你的婚姻状况是什么？ Nǐ de hūn yīn zhuàng kuàng shì shén me?

How to Say “Are You Single” in Chinese?

Most importantly, people want to know whether you are single or married.

Are you single? OR Are you still single?

你单身吗？( 或者 | or)  你还单身吗？ Nǐ dān shēn ma? (huò zhě) Nǐ hái dān shēn ma?

How to Say “Do You Have a Boyfriend” in Chinese?

Do you have a boyfriend?

你有男朋友吗？ Nǐ yǒu nán péng yǒu ma?

Are you seeing anybody? Do you have someone in mind?

你有对象吗？ Nǐ yǒu duì xiàng ma?

How to Say “Are You Married” in Chinese?

Are you married?

你结婚了吗？ Nǐ jié hūn le ma?

How to Say “I am Single” in Chinese?

I am single and have no girlfriend.

我单身, 也没有女朋友。 Wǒ dān shēn, yě méi yǒu nǚ péng yǒu.

I am still single but I have a boyfriend.

我还单身, 但是我有一个男朋友。 Wǒ hái dān shēn, dàn shì wǒ yǒu yī gè nán péng yǒu.

I am not married.

我未婚 ( 或者 | or) 我还没结婚。 Wǒ wèi hūn (huò zhě) Wǒ hái méi jié hūn.

How to Say “Got Engaged, Fiance and Fiancee” in Chinese?

I am engaged. He is my fiance. She is my fiancee.

我订婚了。 他是我的未婚夫。 她是我的未婚妻。

Wǒ dìng hūn le. Tā shì wǒ de wèi hūn fū. Tā shì wǒ de wèi hūn qī.

How to Say “I am Married” in Chinese?

I am married.

我已婚 (或者 | or) 我结婚了。 Wǒ yǐ hūn (huò zhě) Wǒ jié hūn le.

How to Say “I am Divorced or a Divorcee” in Chinese?

I am divorced. I am a divorcee.

我离婚了。 我是离婚者。 Wǒ lí hūn le. Wǒ shì lí hūn zhě.

How to Say “I am Separated” in Chinese?

I am in the midst of a separation.

我在分居状态中。 Wǒ zài fēn jū zhuàng tài zhōng.

How to Say “Widow” and “Widower” in Chinese?

For widows and widowers, it is not necessary to mention that. The Chinese might find it awkward to reply back. Just say that you are still single if you do not want to be too frank. After all, the Chinese are usually reserved people if you do not know them well and would not go too deep into such a topic.

I would think that not many people would say upfront that “I am a widow or widower” as it is somewhat private to use as a self-introduction in Chinese. Nonetheless, the Chinese sentences below are for information.

I am a widow. My husband passed away two years ago.

我是个寡妇。我的丈夫2年前去世了。 Wǒ shì gè guǎ fù. Wǒ de zhàng fū liǎng nián qián qù shì le.

I am a widower. My wife recently passed away due to sickness.

我是个鳏夫。我的妻子不久前病世了。 Wǒ shì gè guān fū. Wǒ de qī zi bù jiǔ qián bìng shì le.

Your Turn to Introduce Yourself in Chinese

So, now is your turn. Leave a reply to me in Chinese (or English) and tell us about yourself. 请你告诉我，平时你喜欢做些什么呢？ Take it as a practice and show us what you have learnt. I will reply back to you 🙂

Related Articles

How to Say “Master” in Chinese? 师傅 & 师父 Shifu Meaning in Mandarin

How to Say “Teacher” in Chinese? 老师 Laoshi, 教师 Jiaoshi, 导师 Daoshi in Mandarin

How to Express Sentences with Colors in Mandarin?

5 Exceptional Reasons to Learn Mandarin & Chinese Language

One comment.

my name is haleema sadia .im from india .im 18 yrs old.i love chinese culture and languagei started studying chinese from 2 months.i want to visit china as soon as possible.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please enter an answer in digits: eight − seven =

Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese: A Complete Guide

The first step in combining Chinese language and culture involves being prepared to introduce yourself in Chinese at any moment. In a culture based on 关系 ( guānxi – relationships), it’s crucial to be able to describe yourself accurately.

The simplest way to introduce yourself in Chinese is to say 你好 ( nǐ hǎo ) meaning “hello” and  我叫 ( wǒ jiào ) meaning “my name is.”

But, if you want to know even more about the different ways you can introduce yourself and information about you in Chinese, we’re here to help.

Simple Chinese Greetings to Introduce Yourself

Introducing your name in chinese, asking about the other person, reacting to a compliment, share your background to introduce yourself in chinese, talking about: where you’re from, talking about: family, talking about: your education and employment situation, talking about: your income and your children’s grades (yeah, this happens), talking about: hospitality, talking about: what you do for fun, concluding your self-introduction, 12 etiquette tips for chinese conversation, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

The basic Chinese greeting is a well-wish, using the word  好 ( hǎo ) — good. Before saying hǎo , you can insert a time of day or a fitting pronoun. The standard greeting is  你好 ( nǐ hǎo ) — hello, nǐ meaning “you.”

[Personal pronoun] hǎo :

您  ( nín ) — The respectful form of the pronoun “you,” used for addressing elderly people or people with higher social or business status

叔叔  ( shū shu ) — Uncle, used for a man who’s old enough to be your father

阿姨 ( ā yí ) — Aunty, used for a woman could be your mom

爷爷  ( yè ye ) — Literally “father’s father,” used for a man who could be your grandfather

奶奶  ( nǎi nai ) — Literally “father’s mother,” used for a woman who could be your grandmother

[Time of day] hǎo:

早上  ( zǎo shàng ) — Morning (before 8:00 a.m.)

上午  ( shàng wǔ ) — Morning (after 8:00 a.m.)

下午  ( xià wǔ ) — Afternoon

晚上  ( wǎn shàng ) — Evening

In conversation, you’ll likely hear one of two questions asking for your name:

怎么称呼您? ( zěnme chénghū nín? ) — How should I address you?

你叫什么名字? ( nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? ) — What’s your name?

The first question includes the respectful nǐn , meaning it should be used to address older people or people with higher social or business status. In less formal relationships, either question can be used. In both cases, you can respond:

我叫 (wǒ jiào) – My name is, and then say your name

You should use questions and phrases that show you’re taking an interest in the person you’re conversing with, thus… building guānxi . For example ,  吃饭了吗? ( chī fàn le ma? ) meaning “have you eaten yet?” is a commonly used phrase that can be used after a typical meal time.

If you already know something about their job or family, do   build that relationship by using 怎么样 ( zěnme yàng ) questions:

[Topic of interest] zěnme yàng ? – How’s [topic of interest]?

Topics of interest may include:

生意  ( shēngyì ) — Business, implying the person runs their own business

工作  ( gōngzuò ) — Work as an employee

家人  ( jiārén ) — Family members

父母  ( fùmǔ ) — Parents

孩子  ( háizi ) — Child or children

If you don’t know anything about them and it’s not around a meal time, just jump into the conversation !

At any point after you say your name, your Chinese will likely be complimented. To be polite, they’ll compliment your Chinese regardless of how good it is.

They recognize the challenge of learning a language since most have at least studied English in school, so saying your Chinese is good is a way to elevate you. It’s now your mission to humbly reject such a lofty compliment.

You’ll hear:

你的中文很好! ( nǐ de zhōngwén hěn hǎo! ) — Your Chinese is very good!

You should say:

哪里哪里 ( nǎlǐ nǎlǐ ) — Literally “Where? Where?” implying “I don’t see anyone around here who deserves such a compliment!”

没有  ( méi yǒu ) — Literally “don’t have,” implying you aren’t qualified for such a compliment

Don’t be afraid to admit:

我还在学习中文  ( wǒ hái zài xuéxí zhōngwén ) — I’m still learning Chinese.

我的中文不太好  ( wǒ de zhōngwén bú tài hǎo ) — My Chinese isn’t that great.

If you include a statement about your low Chinese level, it shouldn’t be the focal point of the sentence. For example, instead of “My Chinese isn’t that great,” you could say “Even though my Chinese isn’t that great, I’m happy to tell you a little bit about myself.”

If you can, deflect the compliment to someone else who really deserves it. This shows you know where the credit really goes. For example, after the other person compliments your Chinese, you could say:

让我的老师很高兴  ( ràng wǒ de lǎoshī hěn gāoxìng ) — That would make my teacher very happy.

A good self-introduction in Chinese needs to describe your essence. That all starts with your background: where you’re from, your family, your education, your work situation and even your income. All of this forms a large part of who you are, so this information is important to share with Chinese people.

Because conversations—especially the first one—are all about building  guānxi , the heart of the conversation starts immediately after exchanging names.

If someone asks:

你是哪里的? ( nǐ shì nǎlǐ de ?) — Where are you from?

你是哪个国家的? ( nǐ shì nǎge guójiā de? ) — What country are you from?

You can answer:

我是 ___ 的  ( wǒ shì ___  de ) — I’m from ___

我来自 ___ ( wǒ láizì ___) — I’m from ___

If you’re from the local area, you can say:

我是本地的 ( wǒ shì běndì de ) — I’m a local, literally “I’m from this place.”

If you ask them where they’re from (or vice versa) and the answer is a little ambiguous (most Chinese will just say “China”), you can say:

___ 哪里? (___ nǎli ?) — Where in ___?

The purpose of the “where you’re from” questions is really to understand what kind of environment you’re from, so you can use these kinds of words to help them paint a picture of you:

农村  ( nóngcūn ) — Rural area, literally “village”

小城  ( xiǎochéng ) — Small town

城市  ( chéngshì ) — Big city

If you want to explain how an environment may have influenced you even though you aren’t directly from there, you can add the word  附近 ( fùjìn ) — “nearby” after the description of where you’re from (e.g., chéngshì fùjìn – near a big city).

Family is so important in Chinese culture that the language has a specific word for almost every family relationship .

For example, in English we would say “cousin,” but in Chinese it’s “your mom’s older sister’s daughter,” which is completely different from”your mom’s younger sister’s daughter.” Understanding your family relationships will help a Chinese person learn about your values and traits.

Someone may ask you how your parents are doing:

你的父母怎么样? ( nǐ de fùmǔ zěnme yàng? ) — How are your parents?

To say your parents are doing well, you can say:

我的___还好 — ( wǒ de ___  hái hǎo ) — My ___ is/are doing well.

爸爸 ( bàba ) — Dad

妈妈  ( māma ) — Mom

You may also be asked if you have any brothers and sisters:

你有几个兄弟姐妹? ( nǐ yǒu jǐ ge xiōngdì jiěmèi? ) — How many siblings do you have?

To say how many brothers and sisters you have, you can say:

我有 how many 个 relationship . ( wǒ yǒu  how many  ge relationship) — I have [however many] of [a certain type of relationship.]

哥哥  ( gēge ) — Older brother

弟弟  ( dìdi ) — Younger brother

姐姐 ( jièjie ) — Older sister

妹妹  ( mèimei ) — Younger sister

You will likely be asked if you’re married:

你结婚了吗? ( nǐ jiéhūn le ma? ) — Are you married?

If you’re married, you can say  结婚了 ( jiéhūn le ) — I’m married.

If you’re dating, you can use the sibling sentence structure, minus the “how many” part:

男朋友  ( nán péngyou ) — Boyfriend

女朋友  ( nǚ péngyou ) — Girlfriend

You can use the sibling sentence structure for how many children you have also (if you’re married, you will be asked if you have children):

孩子  ( háizi ) — Child/children

儿子  ( érzi ) — Son

女儿  ( nǚér ) — Daughter

A person’s education and job situation reflect their current social status.

You might be asked:

你做什么工作? ( nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? ) — What do you do for work?

是你的专业吗? ( shì nǐ de zhuānyè ma? ) — Is that your profession?

Note :  zhuānyè  literally means “profession,” but the concept generally implies that it was your major in college, as well.

You could reply:

我是 ___ ( wǒ shì ___) — I’m a ___

我做 ___ ( wǒ zuò ___) — I ___

我上(了)大学 ( wǒ shàng (le) dàxué ) — I attend(ed) a university.

自学的  ( zìxué de ) — I am self-taught.

Similar to your education and job situation, your income and your children’s grades tell about your present situation in caring for yourself and your family, as well as what kind of future you might have. If the conversation gets this far, you will be asked about it.

___ 怎么样? (___ zěnme yàng ?) — How’s ___?

___ 可以吗? (___ kěyǐ ma ?) — Is ___ good enough?

成绩 ( chéngjì ) — Grades

工资  ( gōngzī ) — Income

还可以 ( hái kěyǐ ) — “Not bad.” Like in English, the tone of your voice shows how “not bad” it is.

不错 ( bú cuò ) — Pretty good/hard to complain.

很好 ( hěn hǎo ) — Very good/satisfying.

These conversations typically happen over tea or food. Hospitality is a big part of Chinese culture, so even if it’s their first time meeting you, they’ll probably still invite you to tea or a meal . This shows their willingness to spend time with you and build  guānxi .

If you have the time, do accept their offer to have tea or food. This shows your willingness to spend time with them and build  guānxi .

They might say something like:  我们喝茶吧 ( wǒmen hē chá ba ) — Let’s have some tea

You should say:  好的 ( hǎo de ) or  可以 ( kěyǐ ) with a smile. Both phrases carry the “that sounds good” meaning, but without the smile, your willingness could be misunderstood as “I guess I have to.”

You should also ask for their phone number or WeChat information . If you have time for tea, ask for this contact info before you leave. If you don’t have time for tea, ask for it so you can make plans to meet again. This shows you view the relationship as worth continuing.

可以给你我的电话号码吗? ( kěyǐ gěi nǐ wǒ de diàn huà hào mǎ ma? ) — Could I give you my phone number?

我们加微信吧  ( wǒmen jiā wēixìn ba ) — Let’s add each other’s WeChat

Grammar note : Saying 吧 ( ba ) is very important. It means you’re suggesting something. If you don’t say “ba,” you’re telling them what to do.

For more formal relationships:  可以加您的微信吗? ( kěyǐ jiā nín de wēixìn ma ?) — Can I add your WeChat?

Grammar note : 吗 ( ma ) is a word that basically adds a question mark to a sentence. For formal relationships, you want to ask permission, not make a suggestion.

Most conversations between Chinese people don’t require the “Where are you from?” part because they take for granted that they’re from China. In those cases, they’ll skip straight from “What’s your name?” to “ What do you like to do? “

你喜欢做什么? ( nǐ xǐhuān zuò shénme? ) — What do you like to do?

我喜欢 ___ ( wǒ xǐhuān ___) — I like to ___

You may be asked how long you’ve had that hobby:

你什么时候开始___? ( nǐ shénme shíhou kāishǐ ___?) — When did you start doing ___?

You could respond:

我 ___ 岁开始  ( wǒ ___ suì kāishǐ ) — I started when I was ___

我从小喜欢  ( wǒ cóng xiǎo xǐhuān ) — I’ve liked it since I was little

我 when 有兴趣了 ( wǒ when  yǒuxìngqù le ) — I got interested at a certain time

At this point, it would be natural for you to volunteer why you like doing what you do:

我觉得好玩  ( wǒ juéde hǎo wán ) — I think it’s fun, a phrase you can use to express simple enjoyment

让我 ___ ( ràng wǒ ___) — It makes me feel a certain way, a phrase that expresses contentment

轻松  ( qīngsōng ) — Relaxed

高兴  ( gāoxìng ) – Happy

期待  ( qīdài ) — Also meaning “happy,” but from doing something exciting

给我 ___ ( gěi wǒ ___) — It gives me a certain feeling, a phrase to explain deeper reasons.

安全感  ( ānquángǎn ) — A sense of security

满足感  ( mǎnzúgǎn ) — A sense of satisfaction

成就感 ( chéngjiùgǎn ) — A sense of accomplishment

一点幸福感  ( yīdiǎn xìngfúgǎn ) — A small sense of happiness

Note : xìngfú is viewed as an ultimate goal in life, so if you reach xìngfú through your hobbies, they’ll probably think of you as a very shallow person, or they’ll conclude you have no idea what you’re talking about

At the beginning of the conversation, all you knew was the person’s name. You didn’t know anything else about them. Now, after this conversation, you know something about the person, and they know something about you. This is the time to say things such as:

很高兴认识你  ( hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ ) — It was nice to become acquainted with you, literally “I’m happy to have become acquainted with you.”

In a more formal, less developed relationship, you could say:

谢谢您的时间 ( xièxie nín de shíjiān ) — Thank you for your time. This is especially respectful if the meet-and-greet was short, implying they didn’t have a lot of time to give you to begin with.

If you want to consolidate what you’ve learned about Chinese introductions and conversations, you could try a language learning platform like FluentU to see how the above phrases and vocabulary work in practice.

In Chinese culture, there are certain things you should pay attention to in order to ensure that you are being respectful, such as particular aspects of your body language. Here are 12 tips to take note of:

1. The older a person is, the more respect they receive in Chinese culture. Calling someone who could be your grandma “grandma” is very well received, while calling her “aunty” may be viewed as insulting because her life experience wouldn’t be properly recognized.

2. Do shake hands when introducing yourself in business-relationship settings. This shows respect for the status of the other person.

3. However, do not shake hands when meeting a potential new friend at a coffee shop. You might feel it shows respect for the other person, but to them it doesn’t show respect for the equal-ness of the relationship. (Of course, the trump card for all of this handshake business is: do shake hands with anyone that wants a handshake, regardless of the situation.)

4. The goal of rejecting compliments is to take the focus off of you and your abilities. The other person will likely emphasize the compliment again. No matter how many times you hear it, reject it.

5. If you’re single, ask and talk about what you like to do with someone who’s the same gender as you, unless you’re looking to start a romantic relationship with the other person.

6. If you’re married, ask and talk about what you like to do with someone who’s the same gender as you, unless your significant other is there with you. A married person of the opposite sex having this conversation might be misunderstood as wanting an external relationship.

7. Don’t make constant eye contact in the conversation. This can be read as defiance, arrogance or even disrespect.

8. Do make casual eye contact in the conversation. This implies you’re both paying attention and thinking about what they’re saying.

9. Don’t talk about religion , politics , sexuality or any other topic with polarized opinions. Your goal is to find a common ground to build your  guānxi on, not to find reasons for conflict. Also, do not talk about death .

10. Don’t verbally take the initiative to break the relationship out of  nǐn.   Leave that for the other person. Ultimately, they know more about the culture than you do.

11. If you’re meeting someone over food or drinks, do fight for the bill when it comes time to pay. This is important because it shows you aren’t just taking advantage of their generosity. However, do let them pay the bill. This is a way to “give face” or 给面子 (gěi miàn zi ).

12. Do not  ask how they are by saying 你好吗 ? ( nǐ hǎo ma ?), which is the literal translation of “How are you?” The English “How are you?” doesn’t translate well , and the “How are you?”—”Good, and you?”—”Good” exchange doesn’t happen in Chinese.

If you just act with self-awareness and cultural respect, Chinese people will be very impressed.

If you want to continue learning Chinese with interactive and authentic Chinese content, then you'll love FluentU .

FluentU naturally eases you into learning Chinese language. Native Chinese content comes within reach, and you'll learn Chinese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a wide range of contemporary videos—like dramas, TV shows, commercials and music videos.

FluentU App Browse Screen

FluentU brings these native Chinese videos within reach via interactive captions. You can tap on any word to instantly look it up. All words have carefully written definitions and examples that will help you understand how a word is used. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

Interactive Transcripts on FluentU

FluentU's Learn Mode turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you're learning.

FluentU Has Quizzes for Every Video

The best part is that FluentU always keeps track of your vocabulary. It customizes quizzes to focus on areas that need attention and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a 100% personalized experience.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Enter your e-mail address to get your free PDF!

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

LinguaJunkie.com

A very cranky language blogger dishing out brutal language tips.

How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese in 10 Lines

Want to speak Chinese? Yes? Good – keep reading. This is for those that truly want to learn the language. Here’s how you introduce yourself in Chinese in 10 easy lines … and this might take you 2 to 3 minutes or less. With this lesson…

• You get the Chinese, translations and romanizations.
• Read out loud to practice your speaking.
• Feel free to print this sheet out for extra review.

Here’s how you introduce yourself in Chinese. Let’s go.

And if you REALLY want to learn to Chinese with effective audio & video lessons by real teachers – Sign up at ChineseClass101 (click here) and start learning!

1) Hello, It’s nice to meet you.

Hello and Nice to meet you in Chinese are a must-know phrases. And any introduction will probably will start with these words.

• Hello, it’s nice to meet you.
• nínhǎo , hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ.

2) My name is _____.

This is simple. To say “my name is” in Chinese, you just need the phrase “Wǒ de míngzi shì.” Then say your name. For example, if the name is Lian, it would be like this…

• My name is Lian.
• Wǒ de míngzi shì lián.

3) I am from ______.

So, where are you from? America? Europe? Africa? Asia? Just stick the name of your country inside this phrase. We’ll use China as an example.

• I’m from China.
• Wǒ láizì Zhōngguó.
• 我来自中国。 我来自中国。

4) I live in ______.

What about now – where do you live? Just fill in the blank with the country or city (if famous) into this phrase. I’ll use Beijing as an example. You can use your own.

• I live in Beijing.
• Wǒ zhù zài Běijīng.

5) I’ve been learning Chinese for _____.

How long have you been learning Chinese for? A month? A year?

• I’ve been learning Chinese for a year.
• Wǒ xuéxí Zhōngwén yǐjīng yī nián le.
• 我学习中文已经1年了。 我学习中文已经1年了。

6) I’m learning Chinese at _____.

Where are you learning Chinese? At school? At home? This would be a great line to know and use when you’re introducing yourself. Here’s my example:

• I’m learning Chinese at ChineseClass101.com.
• Wǒ zài ChineseClassyīlíng yī .com wǎngzhàn xuéxí Zhōngwén.
• 我在ChineseClass101.com网站学习中文。

7) I am ____ years old.

Here’s how to say how old you are in Chinese.

• I’m 27 years old.
• Wǒ èrshíqī suì.

8) I am ______.

What about your position? Are you a student? Yoga teacher? Lawyer for the potato industry? Potato salesman? Super important question that people like to ask (and judge you about – Hey, I’m just a blogger! ). Just use “ani” meaning “I” and add your position.

• I’m a teacher.
• Wǒ shì yī míng jiàoshī.

9) One of my hobbies is _____.

Now, let’s move onto personal interests – hobbies! My hobbies are languages, linguajunkieing and such. How about you? You’ll definitely need this line when introducing yourself in Chinese.

Here’s an example to use:

• One of my hobbies is reading.
• Dúshū shì Wǒ de àihào zhīyī.

10) I enjoy listening to music.

Now, this is just another example line about your hobbies . You can use something else where.

• I enjoy listening to music.
• Wǒ xǐhuān tīng yīnyuè.

So now you know how to introduce yourself in Chinese in 10 lines. I’m sure there’s a ton more you can say – but this is an easy, simple start that any beginner can put to use. It’s all about starting easy.

See if you can introduce yourself below. Leave me a comment.

I read all comments!

Hope you enjoyed this!

– The Main Junkie

P.S. I highly recommend this for Chinese learners. If you REALLY want to learn to Chinese with effective lessons by real teachers – Sign up for free at ChineseClass101 (click here) and start learning!

How To Introduce Yourself In Chinese [Essential Phrases]

• Read time 12 mins

Knowing how to introduce yourself in Mandarin Chinese is essential.

Whether you’re forging new friendships, traveling to China, meeting new business partners, or going for a job interview, a good introduction will leave a good impression.

Beyond a simple hello, you may also want to equip yourself with other introductory phrases.

The context in which you introduce yourself obviously matters.

In this guide, I’ll cover some key phrases that will help you tackle self-introductions with more confidence and ease.

On top of that, understanding a thing or two about Chinese culture/etiquette will also give you an edge.

Etiquette when introducing yourself in Chinese

In Chinese culture, people don’t typically bow when greeting one another.

Instead, you’ll notice handshakes and nods being exchanged.

If it’s your first time meeting a stranger, it’s best to abstain from overly-friendly physical gestures, such as hugging or kissing on the cheek.

Though this may be common in other cultures, it’s rare in Chinese culture.

One of the most common ways to greet someone in China is with a quick handshake, the right amount of eye contact, and a warm smile. But if you’re meeting someone completely new or of a higher status, you may wish to wait for them to initiate the handshake before you go in for it.

And if they don’t, greet them with a polite nod instead.

In business and formal settings, allow your Chinese counterpart to initiate handshakes and try to introduce yourself with your full name. If business cards are exchanged, receive the other party’s card with both hands as a polite gesture.

Take a good look at it before storing it, as this conveys interest and respect. When handing over your business card, do it with both hands as well.

Key phrases to introduce yourself in Mandarin Chinese

Introductions don’t merely involve names.

You’ll likely start with a hello and your name. Moving on from that, you may also talk about your job, profession, where you’re from, or your age.

Any conversation is a two-way street, and the best introductions usually involve two people genuinely wanting to know each other better.

You won’t leave a good impression if you only talk about yourself the entire conversation!

Hence, we’ll also cover how you can ask for a person’s name, where they’re from, and what they’re currently doing.

After you’ve nailed the hellos (and goodbyes ), here’s are some key phrases to follow it up!

1. Telling people your name

After the hello, introductions usually start with an exchange of names.

You may ask for their name to break the ice. You can say 你叫什么名字(nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?), meaning “What’s your name?”

Another phrase you can use is 请问怎么称呼? (qǐngwèn zěnme chēnghu), meaning “How may I address you?”

Once they’ve given you their name, you may proceed with introducing yourself. To do so, you may use the phrase 我叫…, followed by your name. Other than that, you may also say 我的名字是… (wǒ de míngzi shì…), then your name.

If the person has asked for your name first, tell them your name, and you may then ask for theirs by saying, 你呢? (nǐ ne), which means “How about you?” The 你 means “you” while the 呢 is a questions particle in this context.

In business settings or formal situations, you may wish to use 您呢? (nín ne), where the 您 also carries the meaning “you” but is a formal, polite, and highly respectful way of addressing the other party.

If you’re meeting someone of a higher status, someone senior, your boss, or anyone you greatly respect and admire, then you should use 您 instead of the more casual 你.

In some settings, people would introduce themselves by their surname or last name. You can do the same by saying 我姓… (wǒ xìng…) followed by your last name.

2. Talking about your country of origin

If you’re a tourist or foreigner vising China, chances are, your Chinese friends and counterparts would be curious to know where you’re from.

They may also prompt you to talk a little more about your background and home country with the following questions:

These phrases have similar meanings and can be interchangeably used to ask the other person where they’re from or for their nationality.

You can then reply by saying 我是…人 (wǒ shì … rén).

You’ll insert your country into the phrase. For instance, if you’re from America, you can say 我是美国人 (wǒ shì měiguó rén). This means “I’m American.” or “I’m from America.”

If you’re in a slightly more formal setting, you can use the phrase 我来自… (wǒ lái zì…). If you’re from America, this would then be 我来自美国 (wǒ lái zì měiguó), which means “I am from America.”

Finally, your friends may be curious about where you’re currently based. The question you’ll come upon is 你住在哪里? (nǐ zhù zài nǎli), meaning “Where do you live?”

Of course, they’re not looking for your full address. What you could say is 我住在上海 (wǒ zhù zài shànghǎi), and this means “I live in Shanghai.” Replace the last two characters with your country or city of residence.

The following table lists some countries in Chinese.

3. Talking about what you currently do

You may need to talk a little about your job or career when meeting someone new.

On the flip side, you may also be interested in what the other party currently does for a living.

You may prompt them to talk a little more about their career pursuit by saying 你做什么工作? (nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?), meaning “What is your job?” Alternatively, you may also use the phrase 你的职业是什么? (nǐ de zhíyè shì shénme), which means “What is your occupation?”

You can also ask where they work by using the phrase 你在哪里工作? (nǐ zài nǎlǐ gōngzuò), meaning “Where do you work?”

You could then reply by saying something along the lines of 我是医生 (wǒ shì yī shēng), meaning “I am a doctor.” You’ll replace the last two characters with your profession or occupational identity.

If you’d like to be very proper, you can then say 我是一名医生 (wǒ shì yī míng yīshēng). Perhaps you’re currently studying. In this case, you can use the phrase 我是一名学生 (wǒ shì yī míng xuéshēng), which just means “I’m a student.”

In English, the “a” and “an” are commonly used before a noun. However, this would not be necessary for the Chinese language. The 一名 could be likened to the “a” or “an” in English. It’s best used when talking about occupations or professions.

You can still omit 一名, though, as it is not required to form a complete sentence.

Some native speakers may find that dropping the 一名 does not sound natural, so you may still wish to slot it into your sentence when talking about your profession.

Say the other party has asked you where you work. You can reply by saying 我在…工作 (wǒ zài … gōngzuò), which conveys the meaning “I work at…”

Perhaps you work at a café. In that case, you’ll say 我在咖啡店工作 (wǒ zài kāfēi diàn gōngzuò). Or if you work at a bank, you can then say 我在银行工作 (wǒ zài yínháng gōngzuò). Replace the middle of the phrase with the location of your workplace.

The following table lists some common occupations.

Hopefully, this will help you introduce your profession confidently in Mandarin Chinese!

4. Introducing your hobbies and favorite activities

Having similar interests and hobbies is definitely one way to jumpstart a new friendship. In any conversation, finding common ground would be a huge advantage.

If you’re curious about what the other party enjoys doing during their free time, you can prompt them to share their interests. There are several variations you can use to go about this. These phrases include:

When asked about your hobbies and interests, you can reply with 我的爱好是… (wǒ de àihào shì…), meaning “My hobby is…” You can also say 我喜欢 (wǒ xǐhuān), which means “I like to…”

Insert your favorite pastime and interest at the end of the phrase.

For instance, if you enjoy playing video games, you can say 我喜欢玩电子游戏 (wǒ xǐhuān wán diànzǐ yóuxì).

Here’s a table of some common hobbies and interests.

5. Talking about your family

In China, your conversation might touch a little on the topic of family.

Asking basic questions about someone’s family conveys genuine interest in getting to know the other person. Of course, there’s no need to ask very personal questions.

Just a few simple questions will do the trick.

When meeting a family friend or a relative for the first time, you may expect some questions about family to come your way.

Some questions related to the topic of family include the following:-

When asked about siblings, you can talk about the number of brothers or sisters you have.

For instance, you can say 我有一个哥哥 (wǒ yǒu yīgè gēgē), meaning “I have one older brother.” 一 in that phrase means “one,” while 哥哥 means “older brother.” You can replace those accordingly.

Another example would be 我有两个姐姐 (wǒ yǒu liǎng gè jiějiě), which means “I have two older sisters.”

If asked about how your parents are currently doing, you can say something along the lines of 我的父母还好 (wǒ de fùmǔ hái hǎo). This means, “My parents are doing alright.”

Say you’re asked 你结婚了吗? (Are you married?).

In that case, you can reply with 结婚了 (jiéhūnle), meaning “I’m married.” or 我单身 (wǒ dānshēn), which means “I’m single.” or “I’m not attached.”

Finally, you may be met with questions about your children, for example, the number of children you have.

You can reply with something along the lines of 我有一个女儿 (wǒ yǒu yīgè nǚ’ér), meaning “I have one daughter.”

If you have a son, you can say 我有一个儿子 (wǒ yǒu yīgè er zi).

Introducing yourself to someone new goes beyond a simple name exchange

By broadening your vocabulary and knowledge of Mandarin Chinese, you can introduce yourself to another person with more confidence.

Plus, one way to convey a genuine interest in getting to know the other party is to prompt them with relevant questions.

Without a doubt, the best conversations are a two-way street.

By learning a mix of questions and replies to use in such introductory discussions, you’ll definitely leave a positive and lasting impression!

Where to from here?

Follow this up with some awesome Chinese courses we’ve reviewed, as well as apps and books .

Or jump on italki and start introducing yourself to Chinese speakers now.

Which phrases do you typically use to introduce yourself?

Let me know in the comments below - especially if they haven’t been mentioned in this list.

🎓 Cite article

Learning Mandarin ?

Mandarin Resources:

Let me help you learn mandarin join the guild:.

Donovan Nagel - B. Th, MA AppLing

• Affiliate Disclaimer
• Privacy Policy
• About The Mezzofanti Guild
• About Donovan Nagel
• Essential Language Tools
• Language Calculator

SOCIAL MEDIA

Current mission.

Let Me Help You Learn Mandarin Chinese

• Get my exclusive Mandarin content delivered straight to your inbox.
• Learn about the best Mandarin language resources that I've personally test-driven.
• Get insider tips for learning Mandarin.

Don’t fill this out if you're human:

No spam. Ever.

• U.S.& Canada： 1-800-791-9386
• Hong Kong： 800-902-058
• Australia： 1-800-779-835
• Singapore： 800-852-6935
• United Kingdom： 0-800-086-8969
• France： 0-805-080-689
• Germany： 0-800-180-0341
• Spain： 900-838-906

• Regular Chinese Lessons for Adults
• Survival Chinese Lessons
• Daily Chinese Lessons
• Business Chinese Lessons
• Survival Business Mandarin
• HSK Test Prep Course
• HSKK Test Prep Course
• Chinese Culture Lessons
• Industry-Specific Chinese Lessons
• Chinese Lessons for Job Interviews
• Chinese Business Etiquette
• Travel Chinese Lessons
• Chinese Lessons for Finance
• Medical Chinese Lessons
• Learn Chinese through Songs
• Chinese Lessons for Dating
• Chinese Lessons for International Trade
• Customized Chinese Classes for Adults
• Chinese Reading Course (Newspaper, Magazines and Internet)
• Learn Chinese through Movies and TV Programs
• C.TEST (Test of Practical Chinese) Prep Course
• BCT (Business Chinese Test) Prep Course
• Regular Chinese Lessons for Teens
• Chinese Lessons for Adoptive Families
• AP Chinese Lessons and Test Prep
• IB Chinese Tutorial Course
• SAT Ⅱ Chinese Test Preparation Course
• GCSE/IGCSE Chinese Lessons and Test Prep
• Chinese Courses for VCE Examinees
• YCT Writing Test Prep Course
• YCT Speaking Test Prep Course
• Learn Chinese through Cartoons, Movies and TV Programs
• Chinese Lessons for Heritage Learners
• Customized Chinese Lessons for Teens
• For Parents
• Regular Chinese Lessons for Kids
• Learn Chinese through Cartoons
• Customized Chinese Lessons for Kids
• Summer Chinese Program
• Solutions for Educational Institutions
• Corporate Training
• Chinese Immersion Program
• Free Assessment
• Our Students
• Teaching Method
• Certificates
• Partnerships
• How It Works
• Media Coverage
• Ask Jennifer
• Testimonials
• Third-Party Reviews for eChineseLearning
• "Family and Friends" Referral Program
• Test Prep Courses
• Videos by Students and Teachers
• Mandarin Resources
• Affiliate Program
• Chinese Input Method
• Email Inquiries: [email protected]
• Skype: service_eChineseLearning
• WeChat: eChineseLearningAC2

• Download eChineseLearning App

Top 7 ways for making self-introduction in Chinese

This lesson will teach you the 7 most common ways for making self-introduction in Chinese.

Let’s look at the following examples together, shall we?

    Wǒ xìng… 1. 我姓… My last name is…

Wǒ xìng Wáng. 我姓王。 My last name is Wang.    

Wǒ jiào… 2. 我叫… My first name is…

Wǒ jiào Xiǎohóng. 我叫小红。 My first name is Xiaohong.    

Wǒ jīnnián… suì. 3. 我今年…岁 This year I’m… years old.

Wǒ jīnnián èrshí suì. 我今年…岁。 This year I’m 20 years old.

    Wǒ lái zì… 4. 我来自… I’m from…

Wǒ lái zì Zhōngguó. 我来自中国。 I’m from China.

    Wǒ jiā yǒu… ge rén: … 5. 我家有…个 人：… My family has…members: …

Wǒ jiā yǒu sì ge rén: bàba, māma, dìdi hé wǒ. 我家有四个人：爸爸、妈妈、弟弟 和我。 My family has four members: dad, mum, young brother and me.

How to Talk About Your Family in Chinese?

    Wǒ shì yì míng… (zhíyè) 6. 我是一名…（职业） I’m a… (occupation)

Wǒ shì yì míng dàxuésheng. 我是一名大学生。 I’m a college student.

    Wǒ de àihào shì… 7. 我的爱好是… My hobbies are…

Wǒ de àihào shì chànggē, tiàowǔ hé lǚxíng. 我的爱好是唱歌、跳舞和旅行。 My hobbies are: singing, dancing and traveling.

Vocabulary:

职业 ( zhíyè ): n. occupation

爱好 ( àihào ): n. hobby How to Talk About Hobbies in Chinese?

旅行 ( lǚxíng ): n. travel A Step-by-Step Guide Video – How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese

Take a Quiz Now: Introducing Yourself – My Name Is Yao Ming. Bonus: Why Are Chinese Surnames So “贵(Guì)” Expensive? General Chinese (Beginner Level) General Chinese (Intermediate Level)

Related Posts

Chinese culture: origin of “元旦 (yuándàn) new year’s day”, china’s most valuable brand, a glimpse of china’s real estate market: a kfc story, when hip-hop meets chinese stilts (beginner), mini-test answer: skirt (beginner), a movie:《唐山大地震》(tángshān dà dìzhèn) tangshan earthquake (beginner), chinese character: 春 (chūn) spring (beginner), a chinese nursery rhyme for kids: the baby is sleeping (beginner), “harry potter” has a chinese name, do you (beginner), 商务座次礼仪 seating arrangement etiquette, 12 thoughts on “top 7 ways for making self-introduction in chinese”.

Thank you for sharing this article regarding making self introduction in Chinese! Loving it!

Nihao, laoshi. I am learning Zhongwen and I find this article very useful. Now I can make self introduction in Chinese. Thx! But my question is: are there any other ways to make self introduction in Chinese?

I have an essay competition in Chinese characters. I hope this helps me get the award. thank you

Thank you for sharing this article

Hi Prantush. Thank you for the comment. I’m glad you like this article. (*^__^*)

Hello chinese

Excellent method!!!

Like to learn chinese

I keep getting the information that my ID is wrong

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

30+ Ways To Know How To Introduce Yourself In Chinese For Any Occasion

The ability to present yourself effectively forms the bedrock of successful communication, making it an indispensable tool in your linguistic arsenal.

If the question, 'How to introduce yourself in Chinese,' has been on your mind, you have arrived at the right place.

This comprehensive guide is designed to help you grasp the basics and understand the subtle nuances that make self-introduction in Chinese a fascinating skill to learn and master.

Whether you're starting with ' nǐ hǎo ' (你好) or are an advanced learner, this guide will provide invaluable insights that will have you impress your new Chinese friends. With consistent practice, patience, and this guide, you will soon be able to introduce yourself in Chinese easily and confidently.

Without further ado, let's get started!

Build up your Chinese vocabulary 📈 Level up your Chinese skills with Pandanese's SRS and mnemonic-powered flashcards Let’s get started

The script: how to introduce yourself in Chinese

Step 1. Say a Chinese greeting

Start any conversation with a friendly greeting. A common and versatile way to say "hello" in Chinese is 你好 ( Nǐ hǎo ), which translates to "you're good." It's equivalent to the English "hi" or "hello."

We actually have a whole article about greetings in Chinese, so take a look for a more in-depth conversation: Chinese Greetings—The Complete Guide to Greeting Anyone at Any Time in Chinese .

Here’s a common Chinese introduction script to say hi, your name, and where you’re from

Step 2. Say your name in Chinese

When asked, "What's your name?" in Chinese, you can reply with "我叫..." ( Wǒ jiào ... ) followed by your name. For example, " 我叫 威廉" ( Wǒ jiào Wēi lián ) means " My name is William."

For a more formal introduction, use "我的名字叫..." ( Wǒ de míngzi jiào ... ) before stating your name.

Alternatively, you can say, "我是..." ( Wǒ shì .. .) followed by your name, which translates to " I am .. ." and is an easier way to introduce yourself.

Then to ask for the other person's name, you can use "你呢？" ( nǐ ne ) for informal situations or “您呢？” ( nín ne ) for formal situations, both meaning "and you?"

Step 3. Express pleasure to meet them

After exchanging names, express your delight in meeting the person by saying "很高兴认识你" ( Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ ), which means "Nice to meet you." 

For a more formal setting, use "很高兴认识您" ( Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nín ).

Remember to smile, maintain eye contact, and offer a firm handshake to show your friendliness and respect.

10 unique phrases to introduce yourself in Chinese

Mastering the art of 'how to introduce yourself in Chinese' is more than merely uttering your name or age. It's an integral step in Chinese culture as it's your first step to fostering relationships and earning mutual respect.

Next, let's move on to more complete ways that will help you complete a self-introduction.

In a general context, let's dive into 10 handy sentences that can equip you to introduce yourself in Chinese with finesse:

1. " Nǐ hǎo, wǒ de míngzi shì ..." (你好，我的名字是...)

Start with the basic greeting " nǐ hǎo " (你好), which means "hello." Then follow it up with " wǒ de míngzi shì " (我的名字是), meaning "my name is."

For example, " Nǐ hǎo, wǒ de míngzi shì Tom " translates to "Hello, my name is Tom."

2. " Wǒ lái zì... " (我来自...)

When you want to share where you're from, use " wǒ lái zì " (我来自) followed by your hometown or country.

If you are from America, you can say, " Wǒ lái zì Měiguó " (我来自美国).

3. " Wǒ shì yì míng ..." (我是一名...)

This phrase is perfect for stating your profession.

For instance, " Wǒ shì yì míng yīshēng " (我是一名医生) translates to "I am a doctor."

4. " Wǒ zài...xuéxí " (我在...学习)

To express where you're studying, use the phrase " wǒ zài...xuéxí " (我在...学习).

So if you're studying at Beijing University, you'd say, " Wǒ zài Běijīng dàxué xuéxí " (我在北京大学学习).

5. " Wǒ de àihào shì ..." (我的爱好是...)

This phrase is to share your hobbies. Say, " wǒ de àihào shì " (我的爱好是), followed by your hobby.

For example, " Wǒ de àihào shì tīng yīnyuè " (我的爱好是听音乐) means "My hobby is listening to music."

6. " Wǒ xìng ..." (我姓...)

In Chinese, the family name or surname comes first, which is why the phrase " wǒ xìng " (我姓), followed by your surname, is a crucial part of introductions.

For instance, " Wǒ xìng Li " (我姓李) translates to "My surname is Li."

7. " Wǒ zài...gōngzuò " (我在...工作)

This phrase allows you to share your work location. It can also be used to express the company that you are working at.

For example, " Wǒ zài Yīngguó gōngzuò " (我在英国工作) means "I work in England."

8. " Wǒ shì...suì " (我是...岁)

To share your age, use " Wǒ shì...suì " (我是...岁) and any Chinese numbers .

So if you're 25, you'd say, " Wǒ shì 25 suì " (我是25岁).

9. " Wǒ shì ..." (我是...)

" Wǒ shì " (我是) can also be used to specify your gender. " Wǒ shì nǚshēng " (我是女生) means "I am a female."

10. " Wǒ shì...rén " (我是...人)

Indicate your nationality using this phrase.

For example, " Wǒ shì zhōngguó rén " (我是中国人) means "I am a Chinese person."

General notes on Chinese introductions

Now that you have the basic information on how to introduce yourself in Chinese, it's crucial to understand cultural contexts.

a. Age plays an information rule.

In contrast to many Western cultures, it's not uncommon for someone to ask about your age early in a conversation. 

In Chinese society, age plays a pivotal role in defining the hierarchical structure of relationships, influencing the respect one should show to another. Consequently, such questions are optional but necessary for establishing rapport and respect.

b. Be patient and polite.

Patience and politeness are integral aspects of introducing yourself in Chinese.

Building a conversation requires time, so it's essential to exercise patience when trying to make a good impression. On the other hand, politeness can be reflected in how you listen attentively, show respect towards the other person's opinions, and express gratitude for their time and attention.

c. Be aware of any cultural sensitivity and insights.

Developing a basic understanding of Chinese culture will significantly improve your communication with Chinese friends. 

This understanding can range from knowing when to bow or shake hands, understanding how to address someone by their correct title, to showing appreciation for Chinese traditions and history.

d. Know the non-verbal cues.

Body language is another crucial factor to consider. Maintaining eye contact while speaking, giving affirmative nods to show that you are listening, and having a relaxed yet respectful posture can positively influence your interactions.

13 phrases to introduce yourself for a Chinese date

If you are preparing for a date and you want to introduce yourself in Chinese, here are 13 sentences to help you impress:

1. " Nǐ hǎo, hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ " (你好，很高兴认识你)

When introducing yourself on a date, this phrase adds a bit of charm to your greeting.

For example, " Nǐ hǎo, hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ " (你好，很高兴认识你) translates to "Hello, nice to meet you."

2. " Wǒ ài..., nǐ ne ?" (我爱...，你呢？)

This phrase is useful when you want to share your likes and ask your date about their preferences.

" Wǒ ài pǔtáojiǔ, nǐ ne? " (我爱葡萄酒，你呢？) translates to "I love wine, and you?"

3. " Wǒ lái zì..., nǐ ne? " (我来自...，你呢？)

Talking about where you come from can be a great conversation starter. " Wǒ lái zì Fǎguó, nǐ ne? " (我来自法国，你呢？) means "I come from France, and you?"

4. " Wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ yìqǐ cānguān zhège bówùguǎn " (我想跟你一起参观这个博物馆)

If you're planning to visit a museum with your date, you can say, " Wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ yìqǐ cānguān zhège bówùguǎn " (我想跟你一起参观这个博物馆), which means "I would like to visit this museum with you."

5. " Nǐ xǐhuān kàn diànyǐng ma? " (你喜欢看电影吗?)

This phrase is great for asking your date if they enjoy watching movies.

" Nǐ xǐhuān kàn diànyǐng ma? " (你喜欢看电影吗?) means "Do you like watching movies?"

6. " Nǐ xǐhuān tīng shénme yīnyuè? " (你喜欢听什么音乐?)

Music can be a great conversation starter. Use this phrase to ask your date what kind of music they like. It means, "What kind of music do you like?"

7. " Wǒ kěyǐ qǐng nǐ hē yì bēi kāfēi ma? " (我可以请你喝一杯咖啡吗?)

This phrase is perfect for inviting your date for a cup of coffee.

" Wǒ kěyǐ qǐng nǐ hē yì bēi kāfēi ma? " (我可以请你喝一杯咖啡吗?) translates to "May I invite you for a cup of coffee?"

8. " Wǒ kěyǐ qǐng nǐ wǎncān ma? " (我可以请你晚餐吗?)

This phrase is ideal for asking your date to dinner. It translates to "May I invite you for dinner?"

9. " Nǐ yǒu shénme tèbié de àihào? " (你有什么特别的爱好?)

Hobbies can tell a lot about a person. Use this phrase to ask about your date's unique hobbies. It means, "What special hobbies do you have?"

10. "Nǐ xǐhuān kàn shénme shū?" (你喜欢看什么书?)

This phrase can be useful if you are interested in your date's reading preferences. It translates to "What kind of books do you like?"

11. " Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi? " (你叫什么名字?)

After introducing your name, you can also ask the other party for their name.

This phrase translates to "What is your name?"

12. " Nǐ zhù zài nǎli? " (你住在哪里?)

To know where someone is staying, you can ask them this phrase: "Nǐ zhù zài nǎli?" (你住在哪里?) which roughly translates to "Where do you stay?" 

If you ask this question through online dating platforms, the other person will likely reply with the city they stay in.

13. " Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? " (你做什么工作?)

Asking a potential partner's profession is also common during the first date.

This sentence "你做什么工作?" translates to "What is your profession?"

Notes on Chinese dating etiquette

In the context of a date, understanding Chinese dating etiquette is vital. Men are often expected to take the lead in asking questions, planning the date, and paying the bill.

However, these expectations can vary based on personal preferences and modern dating norms. Politeness, honesty, and modesty are universally valued in the Chinese dating scene .

Avoid controversial topics, respect their customs and family, and show genuine interest in getting to know them.

a. Taking initiative

Men are often expected to take the lead in various aspects of the date. This action could involve asking questions to keep the conversation flowing, planning the date, and even paying the bill. However, these traditional expectations are not hard and fast rules and can vary based on personal preferences and modern dating norms.

b. Respect their customs and family:

Chinese culture holds family values in high regard. Therefore, it's essential to be respectful of their customs and family. This action could mean showing interest when they speak about their family or understanding their participation in traditional family gatherings and celebrations.

c. Show genuine interest:

Finally, show genuine interest in getting to know them. This action could involve asking about their hobbies using phrases like " Nǐ xǐhuān zuò shénme " (你喜欢做什么?), meaning "What do you like to do?" or expressing curiosity about their preferences in music, food, or books.

Revamp Your Flashcard Experience👾 Break down characters, create mnemonics, and conquer Mandarin like a pro! Explore Now

9 professional phrases to introduce yourself in Chinese in a business setting

Understanding how to introduce yourself in Chinese in a business environment is crucial. Here are 10 business phrases to help introduce yourself and network:

1. " Nǐn hǎo, wǒ de míngzi shì... " (您好，我的名字是...)

Politeness is paramount in a professional setting. Use the formal " nǐn hǎo " (您好), meaning "hello," instead of the more casual " nǐ hǎo ."

For example, " Nǐn hǎo, wǒ de míngzi shì James " (您好，我的名字是James) translates to "Hello, my name is James."

2. " Wǒ shì...gōngsī de... " (我是...公司的...)

It's often important to mention your company affiliation and role within it.

So, " Wǒ shì Apple gōngsī de CEO " (我是Apple公司的CEO) translates to "I am the CEO of Apple."

3. " Wǒ zài...fēn gōngsī gōngzuò " (我在...分公司工作)

To specify your work location, use " Wǒ zài...fēn gōngsī gōngzuò " (我在...分公司工作).

For example, " Wǒ zài Zhōngguó fēn gōngsī gōngzuò " (我在中国分公司工作) means "I work in the China branch."

4. " Wǒ de gōngsī wèiyú... " (我的公司位于...)

To express the location of your company, use " Wǒ de gōngsī wèiyú... " (我的公司位于...).

For example, " Wǒ de gōngsī wèiyú Shànghǎi " (我的公司位于上海) means "My company is located in Shanghai."

5. " Wǒmén gōngsī zhuānyè yú... " (我们公司专业于...)

To express your company's area of expertise, use " Wǒmén gōngsī zhuānyè yú... " (我们公司专业于...).

For example, " Wǒmén gōngsī zhuānyè yú jìsuànjī kēxué " (我们公司专业于计算机科学) means "Our company specializes in computer science."

6. " Wǒmén gōngsī de zhǔyào chǎnpǐn shì... " (我们公司的主要产品是...)

When talking about your company's main product, use " Wǒmén gōngsī de zhǔyào chǎnpǐn shì... " (我们公司的主要产品是...).

For instance, " Wǒmen gōngsī de zhǔyào chǎnpǐn shì diànnǎo " (我们公司的主要产品是电脑) translates to "Our company's main product is computers."

7. " Wǒ de zhuānyè shì... " (我的专业是...)

When discussing your field of expertise, use " Wǒ de zhuānyè shì... " (我的专业是...).

For instance, " Wǒ de zhuānyè shì jìsuànjī kēxué " (我的专业是计算机科学) means "My specialty is computer science."

8. " Wǒ de yèwù fànchóu bāokuò... " (我的业务范畴包括...)

This phrase allows you to detail the scope of your work.

" Wǒ de yèwù fànchóu bāokuò... " (我的业务范畴包括...) translates to "My business scope includes..."

9. " Wǒ yǐqián gōngzuò zài... " (我以前工作在...)

This phrase allows you to discuss your past work experience.

It translates to "I used to work at..."

5 Chinese business etiquette notes

Navigating Chinese business introductions requires a blend of cultural knowledge, linguistic ability, and an understanding of professional etiquette .

Here are some critical points to consider while making business introductions:

a. Use formal language:

In Chinese business culture, formal language is often used to show respect. This action includes using formal versions of sentences, professional titles, and polite expressions.

Remember, the phrase " wǒ shì " (我是), meaning "I am," is usually followed by your professional title and full name.

b. Exchange of business cards:

Business cards are highly valued in China, and their exchange is a significant part of the introduction process. When receiving a business card, use both hands to show respect. Please take a moment to read it carefully before placing it in a cardholder or a safe place.

c. Respect the hierarchy:

Like the general cultural norm, age, and hierarchical position significantly influence interactions in Chinese business culture. Make sure to greet the senior-most person first and always show due respect to individuals with higher positions.

d. Achieve brevity and clarity:

While making self-introductions in business contexts, be concise and clear. Chinese business professionals appreciate brevity and directness. Hence, your introduction could include your name, your role, and the organization you represent, followed by a brief overview of your business goals.

e. Remember the importance of titles:

Chinese people often prefer being addressed by their titles instead of their first names, particularly in professional settings. Therefore, remember to use their correct titles, such as " lǎoshī " (老师) for a teacher or " zhǔrèn " (主任) for a director.

BONUS: Chinese vocabulary list related to introductions

General chinese introductions etiquette for first impressions.

Understanding Chinese culture can help when you introduce yourself in Chinese. Chinese people heavily value respect and formality during first-time introductions, which are usually accompanied by a handshake or, occasionally, a slight bow.

So, refrain from making prolonged eye contact as it might be perceived as challenging or disrespectful.

a. Emphasize respect

Expressing respect toward the other person is vital when introducing yourself in Chinese. This action can be done using polite phrases such as " qǐngwèn " (请问), which translates to "May I ask."

b. Practice humility

I n Chinese culture, humility is a prized trait. When introducing yourself, remember to downplay your achievements. Use phrases such as " wǒ hái zài xuéxí " (我还在学习), meaning "I am still learning," to express modesty.

c. Give compliments

Chinese culture encourages giving compliments during introductions. However, make sure your compliments are sincere and appropriately timed.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is the common response after a self-introduction.

Typically, after someone introduces themselves, the other person responds with " hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ " (很高兴认识你), which translates to "nice to meet you."

Is it common to mention your age during introductions in China?

In casual settings, it might be common, especially among young people. However, mentioning age is only typical if relevant in a professional or formal business setting.

Should I bow when introducing myself in China?

In China, a slight nod or bow is common when greeting someone, especially in a formal setting. However, a handshake is also acceptable, especially in business settings.

How should I introduce myself to a group in China?

When introducing yourself to a group in China, start by greeting everyone and then introduce yourself. Remember to maintain eye contact with everyone as you speak.

For example, " Dàjiā hǎo, wǒ de míngzi shì... " (大家好，我的名字是...), which translates to "Hello everyone, my name is..."

Should I use my English name or Chinese name when introducing myself?

That depends on the situation. If you introduce yourself to Chinese individuals who may have difficulty pronouncing foreign names, you should use a Chinese name.

However, using your English name with Chinese pronunciation is also acceptable.

Wrapping it up

Congratulations ! Whether it's to meet new friends, go on a date, or for professional networking, knowing how to introduce yourself in Chinese is an important step to making connections and building up how to speak Chinese with confidence.

Practice these phrases to impress your colleagues and impress them with your Chinese language skills.

Each step in learning Chinese brings you closer to understanding a fascinating culture, making new Chinese friends, and gaining a valuable skill that opens up a world of opportunities.

Jing You is a Chinese native who grew up in the Fujian province and soaked in the Chinese culture while living with her grandparents. She later moved to Singapore to pursue further education. However, she has always been passionate about the Mandarin language despite being in an environment that speaks English predominantly. She was involved in multiple Mandarin and Chinese culture programmes in schools, and brought this passion forward by tutoring elementary school students Mandarin in her adulthood.

About Pandanese Learn over 6,000 Hanzi with Pandanese’s Chinese characters flashcards with our easy mnemonic stories and SRS system to build your Chinese vocabulary. Open the dashboard

The easiest way to learn Chinese & build vocabulary

• Free Resources
• 1-800-567-9619
• Subscribe to the blog Thank you! Please check your inbox for your confirmation email. You must click the link in the email to verify your request.
• Explore Archive
• Explore Language & Culture Blogs

Introduce Myself (自我介绍) Posted by sasha on Jan 6, 2012 in Uncategorized , Vocabulary

When learning a language, one of the first things you need to learn how to do is how to introduce yourself (自我介绍 – zì wǒ jiè shào). Whether you are making friends, chatting with co-workers, or looking for love, you’ll obviously have to be comfortable talking about yourself and sharing basic personal information. As a way to help you in your Chinese studies, here’s a short personal introduction about myself:

大家好，我叫Sasha。我姓Savinov。今年我二十六岁。我来自美国。我的老家是底特律。我家有九个人：爸爸，妈妈，四个弟弟，两个妹妹，和我。我们也有一只狗。现在我住在北京。我在这儿工作。我是英语老师。我也是视频制作老师。我有漂亮的女朋友。她也是美国人。我们在一起住。我的爱好是：旅行，看书，听音乐，做运动，什么的。周末的时候我们喜欢去玩儿。比如：爬山，看音乐会，去饭馆吃饭，去酒吧喝啤酒。我很高兴认识你！

明白了吗? (míng bái le ma?) – Got it?

OK, I know that’s a lot to digest, so let’s break down my introduction a little bit:

大家好 – dà jiā hǎo – Hello everyone!

我叫Sasha – wǒ jiào Sasha – My (first) name is Sasha.

我姓Savinov – wǒ xìng Savinov – My (last) name is Savinov.

今年我二十六岁 – jīn nián wǒ èr shí liù suì – This year I’m 26 years old.

美国! F*** yeah!

我来自美国 – wǒ lái zì měi guó – I’m from the United States.

老虎加油！(Go Tigers!)

我的老家是底特律 – wǒ de lǎo jiā shì dǐ tè lǜ – My hometown is Detroit.

我家很大 (My family is really big.)

我家有九个人：爸爸，妈妈，四个弟弟，两个妹妹，和我 – wǒ jiā yǒu jiǔ gè rén: bà ba, mā mā, sì gè dì dì, liǎng gè mèi mei, hé wǒ – My family has nine members: dad, mom, four little brothers, two little sisters, and me.

我的狗有点胖 (My dog is a little fat.)

我们也有一只狗 – wǒ men yě yǒu yī zhǐ gǒu – We also have a dog.

现在我住在北京 – xiàn zài wǒ zhù zài běijīng – Now, I live in Beijing.

我在这儿工作 – wǒ zài zhè’er gōng zuò – I work here.

我是英语老师。我也是视频制作老师 – wǒ shì yīng yǔ lǎo shī. wǒ yě shì shì pín zhì zuò lǎo shī – I’m an English teacher. I’m also a video production teacher.

我们在景山公园 (We're at Jingshan Park.)

我有漂亮的女朋友. 她也是美国人 – wǒ yǒu piào liang de nǚ péng yǒu. tā yě shì měi guó rén – I have a beautiful girlfriend. She’s also American.

我们在一起住 – wǒ men zài yī qǐ zhù – We live together.

我的爱好是：旅行，看书，听音乐，做运动，什么的 – wǒ de ài hào shì: lǚ xíng, kàn shū, tīng yīn yuè, zuò yùn dòng, shén me de – My hobbies are: traveling, reading books, listening to music, playing sports, and so on.

周末的时候我们喜欢去玩儿 – zhōu mò de shí hou wǒ men xǐ huan qù wán er – On the weekend, we like to go out and play.

延庆县 (Yanqing County - outside of Beijing city.)

比如：爬山，看音乐会，去饭馆吃饭，去酒吧喝啤酒 – bǐ rú: pá shān, kàn yīn yuè huì, qù fàn guǎn chī fàn, qù jiǔ bā hē pí jiǔ – For example: climb a mountain, see a concert, eat out in a restaurant, or go to a bar to drink beer.

我很高兴认识你 – wǒ hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ! – I’m pleased to meet you!

Well there you go. Now you know how to introduce yourself in Chinese, so find a new 朋友 and get practicing!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

About the Author: sasha

Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.

Hello ! I’m very happy to see these things above in a both chinese mandarin and english. May i ask you a question 😀 how long have you learned chinese mandarin ? As i can see, it was for long time…I hope we’ll get along well to sharing knowledges and experiences in many aspects not just learning a language.

Hope to see you response !

P/S: contact me : https://www.facebook.com/hunglee0

@Hung Lee Thanks Hung! It’s a hard question for me to answer, because I’ve only really studied Chinese for about 6 months or so in a classroom. I lived in Beijing for over 4 years, though, so I just went out and practiced every day. You don’t really need a classroom when you live in China!

Hello sasha am hearting this。am learning Chinese too am in my 2nd month of learning and I hope I will get to be as fluent as a mandarin speaker

@jane Hi! I have an interest in learning foreign language, right now I’m still learning chinese and spanish. This blog just help me for my homework 🙂 Thankyou (im suprised that you learned Bahasa too 😆) Terima Kasih, salam dari Indonesia!

Woow I like this Sasha.At least I can now introduce myself fluently.Thanks a lot….Then I have a problem in memorising Chinese words and writing the characters. please help.

Mr.Sasha what you have done it is really helpful to the beginners. I m Learning Chinese from 6 months . But I feel it’s very difficult to memorize as well as write characters. I don’t have any friend and atmosphere here to Improve Chinese. What are the remedies for it. {from India}

@Poornima Thanks for the comment! To be honest I never got very good at reading/writing the characters. Make flash cards, try to read Chinese, type it whenever you can. You can do our word of the day, read the blog, sign up to YouTube channels – anything that will get you exposed to more Chinese, more of the time! Oh and of course you should visit China!

Hi. I have learnt Chinese for six months. I think I work too hard because I could read all of that and comprehend it easily. I think anyone can achieve fluency in any language in under a year if you try. Even if you have lots of other stuff. Also being a language teacher is amazing you can make everyone say they love each other on the first day and no one will know what they are saying. Nice work though! Good luck Teaching!

Thanks Sasha. You’ve been of help to me this evening.I am from Ghana and this is my second semester studying Chinese and your introduction has been of help to Me in my assignment. Thanks alot . But the language gets tough each day and I always feel like giving up. What should I do?

@Elle Thanks for the comment! Learning Chinese can definitely be tough. You just have to keep going! Try to use it a little every day, even if it gets frustrating. Have you traveled to China yet? The best way to really use your Chinese is to put yourself in a place where you have to use it all the time. English isn’t very widespread in China so you have no choice but to speak Chinese!

Terima kasih atas tulisan nya, it help for my homework. Very suprised that you learned Bahasa too 😆 I have an interest in learning foreign language, right now im still learning chinese and spanish. Thankyou, greetings from ID 🇮🇩

Leave a comment:

How to introduce yourself in Chinese

One of the first things you need to learn in Chinese is how to introduce yourself and let people know a little bit about you. In this post I’ll cover all this and more.

Table of Contents

Hello / 你好 / nǐ hǎo

你 nǐ 好 hǎo (nǐ hǎo) is the most straightforward way to introduce yourself in Chinese, and is the equivalent of saying “hello” in English. You will also see this written as 你 nǐ 好 hǎo 吗 ma (nǐ hǎo ma) , not the difference here is that the 吗 ma (ma) character has been added to the end. The difference here is that 你 nǐ 好 hǎo (nǐ hǎo) means “hello” and 你 nǐ 好 hǎo 吗 ma (nǐ hǎo ma) is the equivalent of “how are you?”

你 nǐ 好 hǎo nǐ hǎo Hello

You can use 你 nǐ 好 hǎo (nǐ hǎo) in almost any situation, however you should be aware of a slight variation which is 您 nín 好 hǎo (nín hǎo) . Here 您 nín (nín) means “you” but is the polite equivalent 你 nǐ (nǐ) . Examples of when to use 你 nǐ 好 hǎo (nǐ hǎo) include

• Greeting someone who is older such as an elder or teacher
• Greeting someone who is of a senior rank, for example meeting the company CEO
• Meeting someone in a formal situation, for example greeting a guest from another company
• Meeting someone you don’t know where it is apparent they are older or more senior to yourself

Be careful when using 您 nín 好 hǎo (nín hǎo) as it is formal and definitely makes the situation less casual.

Children might use 您 nín 好 hǎo (nín hǎo) more than adults, however for children it is more common to greet people by their title, so for example:

• Hello elder brother 姐姐好 (jiějiě hǎo)
• Hello elder sister 哥哥好 (gēgē hǎo)
• Hello auntie 阿姨好 (āyí hǎo)
• Hello uncle 叔叔好 (shūshu hǎo)
• Hello grandfather 爷爷好 (yéyé hǎo)
• Hello grandmother 奶奶好 (nǎinai hǎo)

My name is / 我叫 / wǒ jiào

我 wǒ 叫 jiào (wǒ jiào) The most simple way to tell someone your name. The way to use this is to say something like:

e e m m > > 我 wǒ 叫 jiào M M i i k k e e wǒ jiào Mike My name is Mike

As Chinese may have some difficulty pronouncing your English name, I suggest you look up it’s Chinese equivalent on my posts here:

• How to say male names in Chinese
• How to say female names in Chinese

Be sure to also check out my post on how to address people in Chinese .

Here is a break down of 我 wǒ 叫 jiào (wǒ jiào )

What is your name? / 你叫什么名字？ / nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?

你 nǐ 叫 jiào 什 shén 么 me 名 míng 字 zi (nǐ jiào shénme míngzì) is a reasonably casual way of asking someone their name and literally means “What are you called?” You can use 你 nǐ 叫 jiào 什 shén 么 me 名 míng 字 zi (nǐ jiào shénme míngzì) in combination with saying hello and telling the other person your name, for example:so for example:

你 nǐ 好 hǎo ， , 我 wǒ 叫 jiào M M i i k k e e 。 . 你 nǐ 叫 jiào 什 shén 么 me 名 míng 字 zi ？ ? nǐ hǎo，wǒ jiào Mike. nǐ jiào shénme míngzì Hi, my name is Mike. What is your name?

Here is word-by-word break down of 你 nǐ 叫 jiào 什 shén 么 me 名 míng 字 zi (nǐ jiào shénme míngzì) :

As you can see from the break down, this is equivalent to English, albeit with a slight change in word order.

How do I address you? / 怎么称呼你？ / zěnme chēnghu nǐ?

怎 zěn 么 me 称 chēng 呼 hu 你 nǐ (zěnme chēnghu nǐ) is best used when you are unsure of how to address someone. Broken down this literally means “how (do I) address you?”:

Here are some sample answer could expect to asking someone 怎么称呼你 (zěnme chēnghu nǐ) :

What nationality are you (which country are you from)? / 你是哪国人？/ nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?

你 nǐ 是 shì 哪 nǎ 国 guó 人 rén (nǐ shì nǎ guórén) is a very common question people will ask of foreigners and thus is a question you will get good at answering. Equally if you are in China, it is unlikely you will need to ask someone where they are from, as the answer is probably obvious. here is 你 nǐ 是 shì 哪 nǎ 国 guó 人 rén (nǐ shì nǎ guórén) broken down word-for-word:

As you can see, broken down 你 nǐ 是 shì 哪 nǎ 国 guó 人 rén (nǐ shì nǎ guórén) is a straight forward translation.

To answer 你 nǐ 是 shì 哪 nǎ 国 guó 人 rén (nǐ shì nǎ guórén) , you should say

I am <nationality> / 我是<nationality>人 / wǒ shì <nationality> rén

我 wǒ 是 shì <country>人 ( wǒ shì <country> rén ) is the most appropriate way to tell which country you’re from. To use this phrase you simply insert the Chinese name of the country you are from, for example:

In Chinese, to turn a country into a nationality, you simply add 人 (rén) after the Chinese name of the country, thus:

• China 中 Zhōng 国 guó (zhōngguó rén)”] becomes Chinese 中 Zhōng 国 guó 人 rén (zhōngguó rén)
• America 美 Měi 国 guó (měiguó) becomes American 美 Měi 国 guó 人 rén (měiguó rén)
• Canada 加 Jiā 拿 ná 大 dà (jiānádà) becomes Canadian 加 Jiā 拿 ná 大 dà 人 rén ( jiānádà rén)
• Australia 澳 Aò 洲 zhōu (àozhōu) becomes Australian 澳 Aò 洲 zhōu 人 rén (àozhōu)
• Indian 印 Yìn 度 dù (yìndù) becomes Indian 印 Yìn 度 dù 人 rén (yìndù rén)
• Britain 英 Yīng 国 guó (yīngguó) becomes British 英 Yīng 国 guó 人 rén yīngguó rén )

If your country isn’t in the short list above, check out my post on Country Names in Chinese .

Note that someone saying they are Chinese 美 Měi 国 guó 人 rén (měiguó rén) refers to their nationality, not ethnicity. Someone who is ethnically Chinese but is not a citizen of China is called a 华 Huá 人 rén (huárén) .

Where are you from? / 你从哪里来？ / nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái?

你 nǐ 从 cóng 哪 nǎ 里 lǐ 来 lái (nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái) is a common question you will hear or may use to ask where someone is from. This is different to 你 nǐ 是 shì 哪 nǎ 国 guó 人 rén (nǐ shì nǎ guórén) , which was asking someone what their nationality. 你 nǐ 从 cóng 哪 nǎ 里 lǐ 来 lái (nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái) could be answered with:

• the country you are from, but necessarily you nationality
• the state or province you’re from
• the city your from

Here is a break down of 你从哪里来 (nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái) :

Here are some examples:

What do you do? / 你做什么工作?  / nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò?

你 nǐ 做 zuò 什 shén 么 me 工 gōng 作 zuò (nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò) is the way you ask someone what they do. Here is a direct translation:

As with English, 你 nǐ 做 zuò 什 shén 么 me 工 gōng 作 zuò (nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò) , is a common part of small talk when getting to know someone.

I’m a ___ / 我是 / wǒ shì

我是 (wǒ shì) is an easy way to say “I am”, which can be used to answer the above question 我 wǒ 是 shì 工 gōng 程 chéng 师 shī 。 .

Note that in some cases you place a classifier, otherwise known as a measure word, in front of the profession, so rather than say “I am student” 我 wǒ 是 shì 学 xué 生 sheng ( wǒ shì xuéshēng) it is more correct to say “I am a student” 我 wǒ 是 shì 个 gè 个 gè 学 xué 生 sheng ( wǒ shì yī gè xuéshēng) , where “一个” means “one”.

Check out my post on how to address people in Chinese for more details on professions and how to address people. If you want to know more about classifiers, please take a look at my post Chinese Classifiers: What are they and how to use them as well as my  complete list of Mandarin Chinese classifiers and measure words .

A sample dialogue for introducing yourself in Chinese

To put this together I thought it would be useful to show you sample dialogue of introductions in Chinese:

你 nǐ 好 hǎo 。 . nǐ hǎo. Hello.

你 nǐ 好 hǎo ， , 我 wǒ 叫 jiào M M i i k k e e 。 . 怎 zěn 么 me 称 chēng 呼 hu 你 nǐ ？ ? nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Mike. Zěnme chēnghu nǐ? Hi, I’m (called) Mike. How should I address you?

我 wǒ 叫 jiào 老 lǎo 王 wáng 。 . 你 nǐ 是 shì 哪 nǎ 国 guó 人 rén ？ ? wǒ jiào lǎo wáng. Nǐ shì nǎ guórén? I’m old Wang. Which country are you from?

我 wǒ 是 shì 美 Měi 国 guó 人 rén 。 . 你 nǐ 从 cóng 哪 nǎ 里 lǐ 来 lái ？ ? wǒ shì měiguó rén. nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái? I’m American. Where are you from?

我 wǒ 是 shì 北 Běi 京 jīng 人 rén 。 . 你 nǐ 做 zuò 什 shén 么 me 工 gōng 作 zuò ？ ? wǒ shì běijīng rén. Nǐ zuò shénme gōngzuò? I’m from Beijing. What do you do (job)?

我 wǒ 是 shì 一 yī 个 gè 学 xué 生 sheng ， , 你 nǐ 呢 ne ？ ? wǒ shì yīgè xuéshēng， nǐ ne? I’m a student， (how about) you?

我 wǒ 是 shì 工 gōng 程 chéng 师 shī 。 . wǒ shì gōngchéngshī. I’m an engineer.

Wrapping it up

I hope this has been useful, be sure to also check out my post on the Top 25 Chinese phrases for tourists tourists to help build you Chinese vocabulary.

Master Chinese Self-Introductions – The Casual & Formal Way!

In Beginner Tutorials , Common Chinese Questions , How to , Practical Chinese Phrases by Angel Huang March 9, 2023

Want to get better at introducing yourself in Chinese?

This lesson is for you!

Summary Of Self-Introductions  in Chinese  From The Video Above

Introduce yourself casually :.

hā lóu！ dà jiā hǎo！

Hello! Hi everyone!

wǒ jiào Angel ， zhōng wén míng jiào huáng tiān shǐ . nǐ men kě yǐ jiào wǒ tiān tiān .

我叫Angel，中文名叫黄天使. 你们可以叫我天天。

My name is Angel . My Chinese name is Huang Tianshi . You can call me Tiantian .

wǒ shì shàng hǎi rén . wǒ shì yú jiā chū jí zhě .

我是 上海人 。我是 瑜伽初级者 。

I'm Shanghainese . I am a beginner in yoga .

chú le zuò yú jiā ， wǒ hái xǐ huan hōng péi .

除了 做瑜伽 ，我还喜欢 烘培 。

Besides doing yoga , I also like to bake .

wǒ de péng you men dōu shuō wǒ zuò de tián diǎn hěn hǎo chī . xī wàng yǐ hòu yǒu jī huì ràng dà jiā lái cháng cháng wǒ zuò de tián diǎn .

我的朋友们都说 我做的甜点很好吃 。希望以后有机会 让大家来尝尝我做的甜点 。

My friends say my desserts are delicious . I hope that you will all have the chance to try my desserts in the future .

rèn shi dà jiā zhēn hǎo!

Nice to meet you!

Introduce yourself formally:

dà jiā hǎo！

wǒ xìng huáng . wǒ de míng zi jiào huáng tiān shǐ . nǐ men kě yǐ chēng hū wǒ huáng lǎo shī . wǒ shì jiào xué bù xīn lái de hàn yǔ lǎo shī .

我姓 黄 。我的名字叫 黄天使 。你们可以称呼我 黄老师 。我是 教学 部新来的 汉语老师 。

My surname is Huang . My name is Huang Tianshi . You can call me Ms. Huang . I am a new Chinese teacher in the teaching department.

wǒ lái zì zhōng guó shàng hǎi .

I am from Shanghai, China .

wǒ zài dà xué lǐ dú de zhuān yè shì duì wài hàn yǔ jiào yù .

我在大学里读的专业是 对外汉语教育 。

My major in university was teaching Chinese as a foreign language .

wǒ cóng shì hàn yǔ jiào xué gōng zuò shí duō nián le.

我从事 汉语教学 工作 十多 年了。

I have been teaching Chinese for more than ten years.

chú le hàn yǔ jiào xué ， wǒ hái duì lǐ cái tóu zī hěn gǎn xìng qù.

除了 汉语教学 ，我还对 理财投资 很感兴趣。

Besides teaching Chinese , I am also very interested in financial management and investment .

hěn gāo xìng rèn shí dà jiā.

Nice to meet you.

qǐng duō duō zhǐ jiào.

I appreciate your advice and guidance.

gǎn xiè dà jiā！

Thank you everyone!

You might also find these posts interesting:

23 Essential Chinese Question Words and 100 Super Common Questions to Fluency

What To Say When You Don’t Understand Someone In Mandarin Chinese

5 Funny Chinese Mistakes to Avoid – Chinese Pronunciation Lesson (Part 2)

Basic Greetings and Self-Introduction in Chinese

Greetings and self-introductions are the cornerstone of effective communication in any language. In Mandarin Chinese, understanding how to greet someone and introduce yourself can open doors to meaningful interactions and cultural connections. In this post, we’ll explore the fundamental basics of greetings and self-introduction in Chinese, equipping you with the essential phrases to start conversations confidently.

Table of Contents

**1. Greetings:**

**你好！(Nǐ hǎo!) – Hello!** A versatile greeting suitable for all situations.

**早上好！(Zǎo shàng hǎo!) – Good morning!** Used in the morning until around 11 AM.

**下午好！(Xià wǔ hǎo!) – Good afternoon!** Appropriate for the afternoon hours.

**晚上好！(Wǎn shàng hǎo!) – Good evening!** Used in the evening from around 6 PM.

**再见！(Zàijiàn!) – Goodbye!** A common way to say farewell.

**2. Self-Introduction:**

**我叫[Your Name]。(Wǒ jiào [Your Name].) – My name is [Your Name].** A simple and direct way to introduce yourself.

**我是[Your Nationality]人。(Wǒ shì [Your Nationality] rén.) – I am [Your Nationality].** Mention your nationality to foster cultural exchange.

**我来自[Your Country/Place]。(Wǒ láizì [Your Country/Place].) – I come from [Your Country/Place].** Share where you’re from to initiate conversations.

**很高兴认识你！(Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ!) – Nice to meet you!** Express your pleasure in making someone’s acquaintance.

**3. Polite Phrases:**

**请问，你好吗？(Qǐngwèn, nǐ hǎo ma?) – Excuse me, how are you?** A polite way to inquire about someone’s well-being.

**不好意思，我能问一下，这是什么？(Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ néng wèn yíxià, zhè shì shénme?) – Excuse me, can I ask what this is?** Useful when seeking information or clarifications.

**4. Cultural Tip:**

Remember, addressing people using their titles (先生 – xiānshēng for Mr. and 女士 – nǚshì for Mrs./Ms.) adds a respectful touch to your interactions.

Mastering basic greetings and self-introductions is a crucial step toward effective communication in Mandarin Chinese. These phrases provide you with a strong foundation to initiate conversations, show respect, and foster connections with native speakers. By using these phrases with sincerity, you’ll not only bridge the language gap but also demonstrate your genuine interest in the Chinese language and culture. Happy learning!

Don’t miss out on expanding your knowledge – visit our Chinese learning resource page !

Immerse yourself in an unforgettable learning experience! – Book a Trial Chinese Learning Class Learn Chinese Online

Related Posts

Chinese Vocabulary

Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse in China: Learn the Essential Chinese Phrases

What Does Mamahuhu Mean in Chinese?

12 Chinese Proverbs That Will Change How You View Life

Simple Self-introduction in Chinese

In this Chinese lesson, we’re going to go through a self-introduction template, which will cover the most common expressions you’ll need to introduce yourself.

Greetings & Opening remarks

(Lit. You good.)

One to a group

Hello everyone.

(Lit. Everyone good.)

Lead-in before your self-introduction

下面我来介绍一下我自己。

Xiàmiàn wǒ lái jièshào yíxià wǒ zìjǐ.

Next let me introduce (a little bit) myself.

Name or nickname

我 叫 + name。

Wǒ jiào + name.

My name is ___.

(Lit. I to be called__.)

Wǒ jiào Joyce.

My name is Joyce.

你/你们可以叫我 + nickname。

Nǐ/ Nǐmen kěyǐ jiào wǒ + nickname.

You can call me ___.

(Lit. You/ You(plural) can call me.)

Nǐmen kěyǐ jiào wǒ Jiājiā.

You can call me Jiajia.

大家都叫我 + nickname。

Dàjiā dōu jiào wǒ + nickname.

Everyone calls me ___.

(Lit. Everyone all calls me___.)

Dàjiā dōu jiào wǒ Jiā jiā.

Everyone calls me Jiajia.

我是 ___ + nationality ___ 。

Wǒ shì + nationality ___.

I am______.

Wǒ shì Zhōngguó rén.

I am Chinese.

Wǒ shì Měiguó rén.

I'm American.

我来自+ place。

Wǒ láizì + place.

I come from_____.

Wǒ láizì Shǎnxī Xī'ān.

I am from Xi'an, Shaanxi.

Wǒ láizì Měiguó Niǔyuē.

I am from New York, USA.

我在 + place + 出生，但是我在 + place + 长大。

Wǒ zài + place + chūshēng, dànshì wǒ zài + place + zhǎngdà.

I was born in ____, but I grew up in___.

(Lit. I in ___to be born, but I in _____grow up.)

我在美国出生，但是我在澳大利亚长大。

Wǒ zài Měiguó chūshēng, dànshì wǒ zài Àodàlìyà zhǎngdà.

I was born in the United States, but I grew up in Australia.

(Lit. I in the United States to be born, but I in Australia to grow up.)

我在 + place + 住了+ time period +了。

Wǒ zài + place + zhùle + time period + le.

I’ve been living in___for___.

(Lit. I in___have lived____.)

Wǒ zài Xiānggǎng zhùle shí nián le.

I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 10 years.

Education Background

我 在+ place + 读 + degree。

Wǒ zài + place + dú + degree.

I’m studying___in____.

(Lit. I in/at____to read___.)

Wǒ zài Zhōngguó dú dàxué.

I’m studying for a bachelor degree in China.

(Lit. I in China read university.)

Wǒ zài Měiguó dú yánjiūshēng.

I’m studying for a master’s degree in the United States.

(Lit. I in the United States read master degree.)

Wǒ xuéxí ___ zhuānyè.

I major in___.

(Lit. I study____major.)

Wǒ xuéxí jiàoyù zhuānyè.

I major in Education.

(Lit. I study Education major.)

Wǒ xuéxí jīnróng zhuānyè.

I major in Finance.

(Lit. I study Finance major.)

Current Job

我在 + place + 做 + occupation。

Wǒ zài + place + zuò + occupation.

I work as___in___.

(Lit. I at___to do___.)

Wǒ zài lǚxíngshè zuò dǎoyóu.

I work as a tour guide in a travel agency.

(Lit. I at travel agency do tour guide.)

Wǒ zài cāntīng zuò fúwùyuán.

I work as a waiter in a restaurant.

(Lit. I at restaurant do waiter.)

我是做 + sth. + 的。

Wǒ shì zuò + sth. + de.

I work as___.

(Lit. I do___.)

Wǒ shì zu xiāoshòu de.

I work in sales.

(Lit. I do sales.)

Wǒ shì zu jīnróng de.

I’m in the finance industry.

(Lit. I do finance.)

我是一名 + occupation。

Wǒ shì yì míng + occupation.

I’m a_____.

E.g. 我是一名汉语老师。

Wǒ shì yì míng Hànyǔ lǎoshī.

I’m a Chinese teacher.

Wǒ shì yì míng gōngchéngshī.

I’m an engineer.

Interests and Hobbies

我（超级/特别/最）喜欢_noun / verb_。

Wǒ (chāojí/tèbié/zuì) xǐhuan ___.

I like___very much.

Lit. I (super/particularly/ the most) like ___.

Wǒ chāojí xǐhuan xuéxí wàiyǔ.

I like learning foreign languages very much.

Wǒ tèbié xǐhuan jiāo péngyou.

I particularly like to make friends.

Wǒ zuì xǐhuan zuò fàn.

I like cooking the most.

我对__sth._很感兴趣。

Wǒ duì ___ hěn gǎn xìngqù.

I’m interested in__.

Lit. I towards ___ very interested.

Wǒ duì yìshù hěn gǎn xìngqù.

I’m very interested in art.

(Lit. I towards art very interested.)

我对中国历史很感兴趣。

Wǒ duì Zhōngguó lìshǐ hěn gǎn xìngqù.

I’m very interested in history.

(Lit. I towards Chinese history very interested.)

Self-evaluation

我是一个 _description_ 的人。

Wǒ shì yíge _description_ de rén.

Lit. I am a ______ person.

Wǒ shì yíge hěn kāilǎng de rén.

I’m an extroverted person.

Wǒ shì yí ge hěn hàixiū de rén.

I’m a shy person.

我的朋友们都说______。

Wǒ de péngyoumen dōu shuō ______。

My friends all say that_____.

我的朋友们都说我是一个很害羞的人。

Wǒ de péngyoumen dōu shuō wǒ shì yí ge hěn hàixiū de rén.

My friends all say that I’m a shy person.

Concluding words

很高兴认识你/你们/大家。

Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ/nǐmen/dàjiā.

Nice to meet you/you(plural)/everyone.

Qǐng duōduō zhǐjiào.

Please do give me some guidance.

One possible self-introduction template, creat your own from now on!

大家好。我叫 + name。我的朋友们都叫我 + nickname。我来自+ place。

Dàjiā hǎo. Wǒ jiào___. Wǒ de péngyoumen dōu jiào wǒ__.  Wǒ láizì ____.

Hello everyone. My name is__. My friends call me__. I come from______.

我在+place+ 住了+ time period + 了。我是一名+ occupation。我特别喜欢+ interests。

Dàjiā hǎo. Wǒ jiào___. Wǒ de péngyoumen dōu jiào wǒ____. Wǒ láizì ____.

I’ve been living in____for____. I’m a_____. I particularly like______.

我的朋友们都说 + description by your friends。很高兴认识你们。请多多指教。

Wǒ de péngyǒumen dōu shuō_______. Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐmen. Qǐng duōduō zhǐjiào.

My friends all say that______. Nice to meet you all. I'd highly appreciate your kind guidance.

You Might Also Like

Learn Chinese Grammar: 听 vs 听见 vs 听说

Colloquial VS Textbook Chinese: When to Say 这zhèi/zhè, 那nèi/nà, 哪něi/nǎ

How to Address Chinese People Correctly – Appellations in Chinese

Learn Mandarin Chinese In Five Minutes

A new word a day. it is as simple as that., how to introduce yourself in mandarin chinese.

Self introduction is unavoidable unless you are anti-social, private or have the fear of meeting people. As we meet new people every day, we will somehow need to introduce ourselves whether we like it or not. We can be meeting people in school, at work or during formal and informal gatherings. As such, making a good first impression is very crucial, especially for business. It is a make or break kind of situation. If your first impression is bad, the business relationship will not even happen. Thus, we need to make an effort in self introduction to make the first impression last.

Formal and informal introduction

Self introduction to friends and business introduction are two completely different things. This is especially so when you are doing introducing yourself in Mandarin Chinese. For business, you need to use formal Chinese as oppose to colloquial Chinese when you are introducing yourself. For example, during a formal introduction setting, you cannot use 你 but should use 您. You also need to know the order of introduction in a formal setting. Who should make the introduction first? Senior or Junior? Higher ranking person or lower ranking person? Men or women? Should you shake hands or should you bow? We will dealt with all of these issues at the later part of this post.

Introducing yourself to a new friend (informal) in Mandarin Chinese

In an informal setting, you can use colloquial Chinese which we use in our daily conversation with friends and family.

Breaking the ice

When introducing yourself in an informal setting, the most commonly used sentence is   我叫 … . (Wǒ jiào….My name is….), or you can also say   我 是 … (Wǒ shì ….I am …) or   我的名字叫 … ( Wǒ de míngzì jiào … My name is …).

Short introduction of yourself

你好 ，我叫彼得。很高兴认识你！ Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào bǐ dé. Hěn gāo xìng rèn shì nǐ! Hello, my name is Peter. Nice to meet you!

Long introduction of yourself

If you want to provide more information about yourself to your new friends, you can include some information about your family, your hobbies, your occupation, where you are from etc.

Telling people where you are from

我是美国人。 Wǒ shì měi guó rén I am American

Telling people about your family

我家有四口人，爸爸，妈妈，一个妹妹和我。 Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén, bàba, māmā, yī gè mèimei hé wǒ. There are four people in my family. My father, mother, one younger sister and I.

Telling people about your occupation

我是北京大学的留学生。 Wǒ shì běijīng dà xué de liú xué shēng. I am a foreign student at Beijing University.

Telling people about your hobbies

我有很多爱好。我最大的爱好是踢足球。 Wǒ yǒu hěn duō ài hào.  wǒ zuì dà de ài hào shì tī zú qiú. I have many hobbies.  My greatest passion is to play football.

Self introduction in an informal setting

你好。我是大卫(偉)。我今年二十二岁(歲)。我是英国(國)人。我家有五口人，爸爸，妈妈(媽媽)，两个(個)哥哥和我。我是留学(學)生。我有很多爱(愛)好，我最喜欢(歡)的是旅游。很高兴(興)认识(認識)你们(們)。

Nǐ hǎo. Wǒ shì dà wěi. Wǒ jīn nián èr shí’èr suì. Wǒ shì yīng guó rén. Wǒ jiā yǒu wǔ kǒu rén, bàba, māmā, liǎng gè gēgē hé wǒ. Wǒ shì liú xué shēng. Wǒ yǒu hěn duō ài hào, wǒ zuì xǐ huān de shì lǚ yóu. Hěn gāo xìng rèn shì nǐ men.

Hello. My name is David. I am 22 years old this year. I am British. There are 5 people in my family. My father, mother, 2 older brothers and I. I am a foreign exchange student. I have many hobbies, and my favourite is travel. Very happy to meet all of you. s

Introduction in a formal setting

Introducing yourself or introducing others in a formal setting will require you to use formal form of Chinese words and or Chinese phrases. You will need to be more conscious of the way you speak and act, unlike in an informal setting.

您好。我是ABC公司的陈凯(凱)，很荣(榮)幸见到您。这(這)是我的名片。 Nín hǎo. Wǒ shì ABC gōng sī de chén kǎi, hěn róng xìng jiàn dào nín. Zhè shì wǒ de míng piàn. Hello. I am Chen Kai from ABC company. It is my pleasure to meet you. This is my name card.

How to introduce yourself in a formal setting

When doing an introduction in a formal setting, you can start by saying the company name followed by your full name and vice versa. Normally, you will need to mention the department you are working in and your title. Take for example,

您好，我叫陈凯(凱)，是ABC贸(貿)易公司电脑(電腦)部的业务经(業務經)理. Nín hǎo, wǒ jiào chén kǎi, shì ABC mào yì gōng sī de yè wù jīng lǐ. Hello, my name is Chen Kai. I am the business manager of the computer department of ABC Trading Company.

Order or sequence in formal setting

In China, the host will first introduce themselves to the guest. During introduction, the sequence and order is according to what we have shown below:

• To introduce the younger or lower rank person to the higher rank or senior person.
• To introduce the men to the ladies if they are of the same age. If there is a senior in the midst, you will need to introduce the ladies to the senior first to show respect to the senior person.
• If you choose to shake hands, the lower rank / younger person will have to wait for the higher rank / senior person to reach out first before you can reach out to shake the hand. And, men should wait for the ladies to reach out their hands first before they can shake the hand. If the senior chose to bow rather than shake hands, you should do the same.
• Always use both hands when passing your name card to the other party. Using only one hand is considered to be rude in the Chinese culture.

Whether you are introducing yourself in Mandarin Chinese formally or informally, so long as you are polite and in your best behaviour, you should be fine.  Just remember to smile and reduce unnecessary talk, you will definitely leave a good impression. Practice using the above sentence structure and you will have no problem introducing yourself to new friends or business acquaintances.

Visit our youtube channel for a video teaching you how to introduce yourself in Chinese.

Privacy Overview

Pre-installed, professionally edited vocabulary lists.

A self introduction in Chinese can go a long way when you’re trying to make a good first impression on Chinese speakers. Whether you’re meeting a potential business partner or greeting a stranger at a cafe, knowing how to introduce yourself in Chinese can demonstrate courtesy, respect, and your awareness of cultural differences. 

Being able to say hello in Chinese will help you start a conversation when visiting China. This would, of course, mean that you would have to know some Chinese to further continue speaking with the people you meet. Is Chinese hard to learn ? Yes, but you don’t have to be fluent to make a short, lasting introduction in Chinese.

If you want to learn how, check out this list of Chinese introduction phrases below. 

Phrase List: How to Introduce Yourself in Chinese

No matter what level you’re at, as you go through the list, try to work on your Chinese pronunciation . Many Chinese sounds can be tricky for English speakers to imitate, even though pinyin makes Chinese look like it uses familiar sounds. Try to find recordings of native speakers (or speak with a native speaker in person) to hear what these common phrases sound like, and get used to saying them as naturally as you can.

All of this practice will come in handy when it comes time for you to land your introduction and make a solid impression in a real situation.

Learning Chinese Vocabulary to Introduce Yourself

To remember how to introduce yourself in Chinese, learn Chinese vocabulary with Hack Chinese . Hack Chinese platform makes studying Chinese much easier by helping you learn and review vocabulary as efficiently as possible. It will schedule when and how often you need to revisit words and phrases to refresh your memories of them, allowing you to stock your brain with useful information while you spend your study time more wisely.

Once you’ve spent some time studying and getting comfortable with these phrases, it’s time to get out there and practice! Keep in mind that making mistakes is a part of the learning process, and that even if the conversation with your new acquaintance ends up switching to English after your Chinese introduction, you’ve already made a memorable impression.

At the very least, you’ve proved to them that you cared about meeting them enough to learn how to introduce yourself in Chinese. You’ve put in the effort to step outside of your comfort zone and familiarize yourself with unfamiliar language and culture. Great job! That’s not such a bad first impression to make!

• , September 11, 2023

11+ Easy Phrases To Introduce Yourself In Chinese

Are you an ardent Chinese language student? Or are you a beginner looking for ways to learn the basic vocabulary and everyday phrases? If you fall into either of the categories, read on to get a good grasp on ways to introduce yourself in Chinese.

In this blog, we’ll learn the most basic step of communicating in a new language – the introduction. It is the first baby step that you take towards your vocabulary-building process. And I am going to make sure that it is as smooth for you a process as a baby learning to coo and gurgle – effortless! So, let’s get cracking!

Introduction: The First Block Of Language Learning

Before we commence, let us remember that like many other Asian cultures, Chinese culture also places a great deal of importance on being respectful towards seniors and elders.

So, when having a conversation with people up on the hierarchy level, be mindful of using formal language as you introduce yourself in Chinese. Though with your new Chinese friends, you can relax a bit and use an informal way of self-introduction with them.

Phrases To Introduce Yourself In Chinese

Let us take a step-by-step approach to perfect our introduction game in the Chinese language.

1. Hello – Nǐ Hǎo

Chinese: 你好

This is the basic greeting that you can use in every given situation. Simply walk up to the person and say “Nǐ hǎo,” as you sport a charming smile.

2. How Are You? – Nǐ Hǎo Ma?

Chinese: 你好吗

So, the literal translation of this phrase is, “are you okay?” However, just like in many other cultures and languages, Mandarin Chinese has its own way of asking for someone’s well-being.

3. My Name Is – Wǒ De Míngzì Shì

Chinese: 我的名字是

When telling your name, you can make the use of the phrase, “Wǒ de míngzì shì,” followed by your name. For instance, if you are an Anna, you’ll simply say, “Wǒ de míngzì shì ānnà.” Another way of telling your name is “Wǒ shì ānnà.” It is written as 我是安娜.

4. What Is Your Name? – Nǐ Jiào Shénme Míngzì?

Chinese: 你叫什么名字？

After introducing yourself, it is polite to ask the other person’s name too. To do that, you will say, “Nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?” It translates to, “May I have your name?” Super polite, you see!

5. I Am A – Wǒ Shì Yīgè

Chinese: 我是一个

Now, at this step, you’d be needed to tell your occupation or what is it that you do. Are you a student, a working professional, a homemaker, or an entrepreneur? So, to tell your answer, you will say, “Wǒ Shì Yīgè____,” followed by your job title or occupation.

For instance, if you are a student, say, “Wǒ shì yī míng xuéshēng.” (我是一名学生) And if you are a banker, you’ll say, “Wǒ shì yínháng yè gōngzuò zhě.” (我是银行业工作者)

6. It Was A Pleasure To Meet You – Hěn Gāoxìng Jiàn Dào Nǐ

Chinese: 很高兴见到你

Coming towards the end of this sequence, let’s end the conversation on a polite note. Use “Hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ,” to tell the person that it was nice to meet them.

7. See You Later – Huítóu Jiàn

Chinese: 回头见

Use “Huítóu jiàn,” to bid a quick farewell to your acquaintance. You can also say, “Zàijiàn, bǎozhòng,” (再见，保重) to say, “Goodbye, and take care.”

Other Phrases Related To Chinese Introduction

Now that we have covered the basic Chinese phrases related to self-introduction, let us take a look at some more phrases that might come in handy when talking to Chinese people.

1. Nationality: I Am – Wǒ Shì

Chinese: 我是

To say that you are an American, you will say, “Wǒ shì měiguó rén.” (我是美国人) As an Indian, you will say, “Wǒ shì yìn duó rén.” (我是印度人)

In fact, you can refer to our blog article on countries and nationalities in Chinese to learn how each nationality is pronounced in the Chinese language.

2. Age: I Am X Years Old – Wǒ Jīnnián X Suì

Chinese: 我今年 (X) 岁

You can use this phrase to tell your age. Simply replace the X with your age number.

3. Residence: I Stay In – Wǒ Liú Zài

Chinese: 我留在

To tell a Chinese person the place where you live, use “Wǒ Liú Zài,” followed by the name of the place.

4. Office: I Work At XX – Wǒ Zài XX Gōngzuò

Chinese: 我在 (XX) 工作

When talking about your company or the place where you work , say, “Wǒ Zài XX Gōngzuò,” and replace XX with the company name.

5. Learning Status: I Started Learning Chinese In XX – Wǒ Cóng XX Nián Kāishǐ Xuéxí hànyǔ

Chinese: 我从XX年开始学习汉语

This is an additional yet handy phrase. You can use it to tell the person how long you have been a student of the Chinese language. This usually bodes well with people around you as they see you making an effort to learn their language. They take it as an appreciation of their culture. So, it is a win-win situation for you!

Learn Chinese With Ling

Now that you have learned to introduce yourself in Chinese, why not learn some other related phrases to add to your vocabulary and phrasebook? Head straight to Ling’s Chinese blog to read some well-curated articles on everyday Chinese usage.

And the fun doesn’t stop there. You can download the Ling app to further your learning Chinese goals in a fun and engaging manner. Did you know that Ling’s gamified approach makes it an amazing tool for language learning, involving all aspects of language skills?

So download the app from App Store or Play Store and get on with learning Chinese now!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

People also read

Why Is There No‌ ‌Farsi ‌On‌ ‌Duolingo?‌‌ ‌‌#1 Helpful Blog

15-Minute Program Makes Learning Persian Child’s Play

What makes learning with ling special, interactive exercises.

Improve your pronunciation by starting a conversation with our app’s interactive chatbot

Engaging activities

Practice your skills with mini-games and track your progress with fun quizzes

Mix of languages

Choose from over 60 languages, both big and small, and listen to audio from native speakers

Proven results

Backed by linguistic research, our learning methods can help you achieve fluency in record time

Southeast Asia

East europe.

© 2024 Simya Solutions Ltd.

6 Chinese Words and Structures for Self-Introduction

Apr 19, 2022 | Chinese Language

The Most Useful Chinese Words and Structures to Introduce Yourself in Chinese

Imagine such a scenario, you’ve just arrived in China and you want to make some Chinese friends in order to know more about local people’s daily lives. As we all know, in order to make friends with other people, you will first need to introduce yourself. Well, if you would like to make friends with Chinese people, it will be a good idea to learn how to introduce yourself in Chinese so that you could more or less impress your “potential friends”. In this article, we would like to teach you six words and structures you need in order to introduce yourself in Chinese.

Chinese Words and Structures to Introduce Yourself

1. Greetings

你好! Nǐ hǎo Hello!You can start with the word “你好 (nǐ hǎo)” if you would like to learn how to introduce yourself in Chinese. This is the most common word Chinese people use when they start to introduce themselves. In this word, “你 (nǐ)” means “you”, and “好 (hǎo)” means “good”. Hence, the literal meaning of this Chinese word is “you good”. What’s hidden behind this word is probably that when Chinese people say hi to you, they also hope everything is going well with you.

2. I am …

我是 … Wǒ shì … I am + name

This is the key structure that you need in order to introduce yourself in Chinese. The character “是 (shì)” means “am/is/are”, and the meaning of this structure is “I am……”. You can add your name to this structure when you want to introduce yourself in Chinese. Here is an example to help you better understand how to use this structure:

我是Andy。 Wǒ shì Andy. I’m Andy.

What you need to bear in mind is that Chinese people state their full names (surname + given name) instead of just saying their given names when they introduce themselves. In addition, a person’s surname comes before his or her given name. For example:

我是李强。 Wǒ shì Lǐ Qiáng. I’m Li Qiang.

In the name “李强 (Lǐ Qiáng)”, “李 (Lǐ)” is this person’s surname, whereas “强 (Qiáng)” stands for the given name.

3. My name is …

我叫 … Wǒ jiào … My name is + name

This is another way to tell other people your name when you introduce yourself in Chinese. “叫 (jiào)” means “to call”, therefore, the literal meaning of this structure is “I’m called/My name is……”. Again you can directly add your name to this structure when you introduce yourself in Chinese.

你好，我叫Emily。 Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Emily。 Hello, my name is Emily.

4. I’m from …

我是 … Wǒ shì … I’m + nationality.

When you introduce yourself in Chinese, you probably also want to tell other people where you come from. In Chinese, “name of the country + 人 (rén)” represents a person’s nationality, and the character “人 (rén)” means “people”. Let’s take a look at some examples to help you better understand this structure:

我是美国人。 Wǒ shì Měi guó rén. I’m American.

我是英国人。 Wǒ shì Yīng guó rén. I’m British.

我是日本人。 Wǒ shì Rì běn rén. I’m Japanese.

In these three examples, “美国 (Měiguó)”, “英国 (Yīngguó)” and “日本 (Rìběn)” mean “America”, “Britain” and “Japan” respectively.

Chinese Words and Structures to Talk About Your Occupation and Age

1. My occupation

我是 … Wǒ shì … I’m a + profession

Sometimes you might also want to tell other people what you do for a living when you introduce yourself in Chinese. It’s very similar to how you tell others your nationality, and what you need to do is replace your nationality by your profession.

我是老师。 Wǒ shì lǎoshī. I’m a teacher.

我是工程师。 Wǒ shì gōngchéngshī. I’m an engineer. Vocabulary:

老师 lǎoshī teacher

工程师 gōngchéngshī engineer

我 + … + 岁 。 Wǒ + … + suì. I’m … years old.

It’s not acceptable to ask people’s age in most western countries. However, you can use this structure in case you want to mention your age when you introduce yourself in Chinese. The word “岁 (suì)” can be translated as “year(s) old”.

我二十岁。 Wǒ èrshí suì. I’m twenty years old.

I hope you’ve learned a little bit more about self-introduction. To find out more interesting and useful vocabulary, check out one of our blog posts 7 Things About Chinese Culture First-time Travelers Should Know

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Submit Comment

Other posts you might like

5 Small Talk Phrases in Chinese

Apr 27, 2022 | Chinese Language

Some of the Chinese phrases people use are a bit different from what you might’ve expected. Learn 5 most useful small talk phrases in Chinese.

How to Describe 5 Types of Weather in Chinese

Apr 21, 2022 | Chinese Language

Useful Vocabulary to Describe 5 Types of Weather in ChinesePeople from Britain often start a conversation by talking about the weather 天气 (tiānqì). Chinese people are not partial to discussions related to the weather. However, what might surprise you is that the...

7 Common Chinese Phrases to Express Wishes

Useful Common Chinese Phrases to Express Wishes Courtesy plays an important role in Chinese culture. Chinese people express wishes to their friends and relatives during the New Year holiday. Meanwhile, they also do that on different festival-related occasions. As many...

Get 2-week FREE Chinese Classes

Original Price:  ¥ 600

EVERYDAY EASY CHINESE

Making Chinese learning easy

• Dec 25, 2018

Introduce yourself in Chinese

大家好！我是 Everyday Easy Chinese 的何老师。

In our first Chinese language lesson, we will learn how to do self introductions in Mandarin. We will go through the vocabulary and grammar needed to help you create sentences and ask questions so that you can hold up your first conversation in Chinese.

Here are several common words that can help you in introducing yourself.

1. Person/People: 人 Rén (This will help you say your nationality or ethnicity)

2. Country: 国 Guó

3. To call/Be called: 叫 Jiào

4. I/,Me: 我 Wǒ

5. You: 你 Nǐ

6. He: 他 Tā (If you are referring to a female, you can write the word 她 Tā , or if you are referring to an animal or object, you can write 它 Tā which means “it”.)

7. Good: 好 Hǎo

This is the easy part because Chinese grammar is quite similar to English grammar. For example, in English, we will say “My name is Emma”. In Chinese, this will follow a similar structure and will be “我(I)叫(called)爱玛(Emma)”. Let's learn a few more bits of grammar to help us build sentences.

1. Am/Are/Is: 是 Shì (是 can also mean “yes” depending on the context.)

2. Come from: 从..来 Cóng... Lái

3. The closed question particle: 吗? Ma (You add this particle onto the end of the sentence to turn it into a question. This is mainly used for “yes or no” questions.)

4. The open question particle: 呢? Ne (You add this particle onto the end of the sentence to turn it into a question. This is mainly used for open ended questions.)

Let’s make some sentences with what we have learnt.

1. 你好 Hello

2. 我叫爱玛 I am called Emma.

3. 我是爱玛 I am Emma. ( 叫 "call or be called" can also be used and this has the same meaning as using 是 which means "am")

4. 我是美国人 I am American. To say which country you are from, you will start with the: -Pronoun 我/你/他 (Same as in English)

-是 which means am/are/is

- The country, so in this case美国 (But you can also add the word 英 in front of the word 国 (country) which will mean England. To say that you are a person of that country, you will add the word 人 (person) behind the word "country". So 美国人 means American and 英国人 means British.)

You can also say you “come from” a place. For example:

5. 我从美国来 I come from America. To say where you are from, you would use:

- Pronoun: 我/你/他/她/它

- Grammar: 从xx来. (Replace the blank with the name of the country and it will read "I come from xx."

Rather than have a one-sided conversation. It is also good to ask questions!

Let’s learn how to ask questions:

- 你means You，是 means are，中国means Chinese, 人 means person. (This sentence means You are a Chinese person.)

To change this into a question, we will add the word 吗 at the end to turn the sentence into a question “Are you Chinese?”

2. 你呢？How about you?

- 你means You. If we add the open ended question particle 呢？ We change this to “And You?” or “How about you?”

Let’s practice now!

How would you say….

1. Hello, I am called XX.

2. I am from xx.

3. Are you Chinese?

Remember to subscribe to our Youtube/Instagram channel and follow our Twitter/Facebook account for the latest Chinese lessons!

Achieve your Chinese Language goals now!

• Beginner Chinese

Recent Posts

How to pronounce the top 100 brand names in Chinese Mandarin

Learn The Untamed's Main Theme Song - Unrestrained - Chinese Lesson

Inspiring Confucius Quotes in Chinese and English

Start Learning Chinese in the next 30 Seconds with a Free Lifetime Account

How To Start A College Essay About Yourself

The Silicon Review 17 April, 2024

Writing a college essay about yourself can be an intimidating task. It's your one chance to make an impression on the admissions officers and convince them that you're the right fit for their school. But where do you even begin? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Beginning a college essay about yourself involves capturing your unique voice and experiences in a compelling introduction that hooks the reader's attention, and having someone at Academized to write my essay ensures expert guidance and support to kickstart your narrative with confidence and clarity. In this post, we'll guide you through the process of starting a college essay about yourself, from brainstorming ideas to creating an introduction.

Brainstorming Topics

The first step in starting a college essay about yourself is to brainstorm potential topics. This is where you'll want to think about what makes you unique and what experiences have shaped who you are today. Here are some prompts to get you started:

• A significant challenge you've faced and how you overcame it
• A personal accomplishment you're proud of
• A life-changing event or experience
• Your cultural background and how it has influenced you
• A person who has had a significant impact on your life
• A passion or interest that drives you

As you brainstorm, think about the stories and experiences that best showcase your personality, values, and goals. Remember, the essay is an opportunity to give the admissions officers a glimpse into who you are beyond just your grades and test scores.

Choosing a Compelling Topic

Once you've brainstormed a list of potential topics, it's time to narrow it down to the one that you think will make for the most compelling essay. Here are some things to consider when choosing your topic:

• Significance: Choose a topic that has had a significant impact on your life or has helped shape who you are today.
• Uniqueness: While it's okay to write about a common experience, try to find a unique angle or perspective that sets your essay apart.
• Personal growth: Look for a topic that showcases how you've grown or learned from the experience.
• Passion: Choose a topic that you're passionate about, as this will make your essay more engaging and authentic.

Writing a Strong Introduction

Writing a college essay about yourself requires an engaging opening that showcases your personality and sets the tone for your narrative, and referencing insightful resources like https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/best-essay-writing-services-top-5-paper-websites-mary-walton can provide valuable inspiration and guidance to help you create a memorable introduction with confidence.

With your topic selected, it's time to start writing your essay. The introduction is arguably the most important part, as it sets the tone for the rest of the piece and hooks the reader's attention. Here are some tips for writing a strong introduction:

The Personal Anecdote

One effective way to start your essay is with a personal anecdote or story that relates to your chosen topic. This can be a powerful way to draw the reader in and set the scene for the rest of your essay. For example, if you're writing about a significant challenge you've faced, you could start with a vivid description of the moment when you first realized the challenge ahead of you.

The Thought-provoking Question

Another option is to start with a thought-provoking question that relates to your topic. This can pique the reader's curiosity and get them thinking about the issue or experience you'll be exploring in your essay. For example, if you're writing about a passion or interest that drives you, you could start with a question like, "What is it that makes us passionate about certain things in life?"

The Surprising Statement

You could also grab the reader's attention with a surprising statement or statistic that relates to your topic. This can be a great way to challenge the reader's assumptions and set up the rest of your essay as an exploration of that surprising idea. For example, if you're writing about your cultural background, you could start with a statement like, "While many people assume that culture is something that's passed down from generation to generation, my experience has shown me that it's something that's constantly evolving."

Finding Your Voice

No matter which approach you choose for your introduction, it's important to find your voice and write in a way that feels authentic and true to who you are. Don't try to sound like someone you're not, or use language that feels unnatural or forced. The admissions officers want to get to know the real you, so let your personality shine through in your writing.

Developing the Body

With a strong introduction in place, it's time to move on to the body of your essay. This is where you'll expand on the topic you've chosen and provide the details and examples that support your main idea or argument. Here are some tips for developing a strong body:

Use Vivid Details

To make your essay more engaging and memorable, be sure to use vivid details and descriptions. This could include sensory details (sights, sounds, smells, etc.), dialogue, or specific examples that help illustrate your points.

Show, Don't Tell

Rather than simply telling the reader what happened or what you learned, show them through your writing. Use concrete examples and anecdotes to bring your experiences to life and demonstrate the lessons or insights you've gained.

Structure and Flow

Pay attention to the structure and flow of your essay. Use transitions to smoothly move from one idea to the next, and consider using subheadings or other organizational techniques to help guide the reader through your essay.

Personal Growth and Reflection

Throughout the body of your essay, be sure to emphasize how the experience or topic you're writing about has impacted you personally. Share your thoughts, feelings, and insights, and reflect on how the experience has shaped who you are today or influenced your goals and aspirations for the future.

As you wrap up your essay, it's important to bring your ideas together in a strong conclusion. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression on the reader and reinforce the main themes or lessons you've explored throughout your essay.

Summarize Key Points

In your conclusion, you'll want to briefly summarize the key points or experiences you've discussed in the body of your essay. This helps to reinforce the main ideas and ensures that the reader walks away with a clear understanding of your central message or argument.

Final Thoughts and Insights

Use the conclusion as an opportunity to share any final thoughts or insights you've gained from the experience or topic you've written about. This could include lessons learned, personal growth, or how the experience has influenced your goals or perspectives.

Call to Action

Finally, consider including a call to action or a statement that encourages the reader to think more deeply about the topic or theme you've explored. This could be a question for them to ponder or a challenge to approach a similar situation or experience with a new perspective.

Revising and Editing

Once you've drafted your college essay, it's important to take the time to revise and edit your work. This will help ensure that your essay is polished, well-organized, and free of errors.

Read it Out Loud

One helpful technique is to read your essay out loud. This can help you catch awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, or other issues that you might have missed when reading silently.

Get Feedback

It can also be valuable to have someone else read your essay and provide feedback. This could be a friend, family member, teacher, or even a writing tutor. They may be able to offer fresh perspective and insights that can help you improve your essay.

Check for Clarity and Focus

As you revise, make sure that your essay has a clear focus and that each paragraph and idea contributes to your overall message or argument. Remove any unnecessary or tangential information that doesn't directly support your main point.

Polish Your Writing

Finally, take the time to polish your writing and ensure that your essay is free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. These small details can make a big difference in how your essay is perceived by the admissions officers.

Writing a college essay about yourself can be a challenging but rewarding experience. By following the tips and strategies outlined in this post, you'll be well on your way to creating a compelling and authentic essay that showcases who you are and what you have to offer. Remember to take your time, focus on finding your unique voice, and don't be afraid to share your personal experiences and insights. With dedication and effort, you can create an essay that will make a lasting impression on the admissions officers and help you stand out in the competitive college application process.

MOST VIEWED ARTICLES

Embracing digital transformation in manufacturing and inventory management, edtech startups: transforming learning with innovative solutions, mastercard (ma), mas partnered for cyber resilience in singapore, the future of food: innovations in sustainable agriculture, investing in cryptocurrency: bitcoin price and crypto scalping tips, recommended news.

AI titan Nvidia ramped up the collaboration w..

Interos ended One-Size-Fits-All supply chain ..

Aerospacelab was appointed to build Xona Spac..

DNX Ventures announced final close of new Jap..

Cohort announced for ScreenCraft Works cross-..

U.S. Travel announced new appointees to Execu..

Axis Bank launched digital US Dollar Fixed De..

Dolce&Gabbana unveiled details of its fir..

Latest news, exploring the impact of ai in air traffic control, geek+ collaborated with toll group to launch its first robotics sorting warehouse in korea, southwest airlines purchased a stake in clean flight, purehealth partnered with usa’s no.1 children’s hospital to establish paediatric centre of excellence, openai inaugurated its first tokyo operations center, lg launched vulnerable & endangered species awareness campaign in times square, fresh perspectives on software product development, pitch perfect: the best soccer fields and facilities in the mls, sponsored articles, how to start a college essay a...

Fresh Perspectives on Software..

Pitch perfect: the best soccer.., how webflow development can re.., regaining the driver's seat: e.., the key to attracting top tale.., most featured companies.

ASG expanded by opening a London office

Alternus clean energy and acadia energy partnered to develop 200 mw microgrid projects, us science agency debuted startup matchmaking program in taiwan, dallas’ welker properties launched prophet homes, aims to raise $100m with new fund, joint eu-us-armenia high level meeting happened in support of armenia's resilience, you may also like, puma studio announced opening in la to create products and campaigns, efficiency redefined: driving the ford lease advantage, totalenergies expanded its natural gas production in texas, altice’s patrick drahi acquired sotheby’s auction house for $3.7 billion, mastercard and sap concur partnered to revolutionise expense management.

• Industry Newsletters
• Send Us Feedback
• Share your Ideas
• Middle-East

© 2024 Silicon Review LLC. All Rights Reserved.

• PRIVACY POLICY
• PRINTS AND PERMISSIONS

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

DealBook Newsletter

Tesla Sets Up a New Showdown Over Elon Musk’s Pay

The electric vehicle maker will ask shareholders to vote again on a multibillion-dollar compensation package that was voided by a judge in January.

By Andrew Ross Sorkin ,  Ravi Mattu ,  Bernhard Warner ,  Sarah Kessler ,  Michael J. de la Merced ,  Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni

Tesla tries again on Musk’s record pay package

Nearly three months ago, a Delaware court voided Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package that Tesla’s board — and most shareholders — had given him in 2018, contending that the process to decide it was “deeply flawed” and that the company didn’t properly disclose it to investors.

On Wednesday, Tesla said that it would ask shareholders to vote again on that same pay package, now valued at about $47 billion, at its annual meeting on June 13. The company’s board is effectively asking shareholders, now armed with all of the information that was revealed about the negotiations in court, to make the court’s ruling moot.

The vote is likely to set off a bitter battle among investors and governance experts over whether shareholders should provide Musk with the richest pay package in U.S. corporate history. It comes as Tesla faces new challenges, especially slumping sales that have erased billions off its market value in recent months.

The background: In 2018, Tesla came up with a package that would give Musk the right to buy up to 304 million shares at a preset price of $23.34 — if he met a series of increasingly difficult-to-achieve financial milestones. If he didn’t meet them, he would get nothing. At the time, the company was worth $59 billion.

It was the most radical, “skin-in-the game” compensation plan ever devised. This is how Andrew described the compensation arrangement at the time:

If Mr. Musk were somehow to increase the value of Tesla to $650 billion — a figure many experts would contend is laughably impossible and would make Tesla one of the five largest companies in the United States, based on current valuations — his stock award could be worth as much as $55 billion.

About 73 percent of non-Musk shareholders approved the plan in a 2018 vote.

Musk managed to surpass those high hurdles. But in January, a Delaware judge struck down the plan, agreeing with shareholders who had sued to block the payouts because, they said, it was created with the help of overly compliant Tesla directors.

What Tesla is doing now: The company will ask its shareholders to vote yes or no on the pay package again. Here’s the rationale, as laid out in a special board committee’s report included with its proxy filing:

We suggest simply subjecting the original 2018 package to a new shareholder vote, accompanied by expansive disclosure as to the process undertaken and the potential conflicts of interest that were considered at the time.

In other words, if the Delaware judge’s objection to the plan was that shareholders weren’t aware of all of the circumstances behind its creation in 2018, they would be if they voted this time. While Tesla is still appealing that decision, a new shareholder vote on the plan would clear up the matter.

The committee added that four of Tesla’s 10 biggest institutional shareholders, including the money management giant T. Rowe Price, asked the carmaker’s board for a new vote and indicated that they would vote in favor of it again.

Tesla is also making good on Musk’s threat to relocate the company out of Delaware, letting shareholders vote to move its incorporation to Texas. Tesla argues that the plan makes business sense, given the size of its operations in the Lone Star State and that shareholders would have more of a say there.

The Tesla board says the vote is about fairness. Here’s what Robyn Denholm, the carmaker’s chair, wrote in a letter to shareholders on Wednesday:

Because the Delaware Court second-guessed your decision, Elon has not been paid for any of his work for Tesla for the past six years that has helped to generate significant growth and shareholder value. That strikes us — and the many stockholders from whom we already have heard — as fundamentally unfair, and inconsistent with the will of stockholders who voted for it.

Tesla noted that since 2018, Musk hasn’t drawn any compensation, including salary or cash bonuses, despite achieving the board-set hurdles. (That said, he has sold $23 billion worth of stock in 2022 and pledged hundreds of millions of existing shares against personal loans.) Also, perhaps less well understood is that Musk has to keep the shares for five years after he receives them, again aligning his interests with shareholders.

Still, the vote opens up a number of complications. Musk has already demanded more voting control at Tesla. He could argue that if shareholders refuse to sign off on the compensation package, he will devote more of his time — and, perhaps more important, his work on promising technology like artificial intelligence — to his other businesses, like SpaceX or his xAI start-up.

Some Tesla shareholders have been unhappy with Musk’s increasing willingness to make provocative and unpredictable comments on the social media platform X, some of which have alienated customers. And the plaintiffs’ lawyers who brought the case to overturn Musk’s pay package could campaign to persuade investors to block the deal.

If shareholders now have the opportunity to try to save tens of billions of dollars in compensation costs, it’s possible that some might vote against the deal, betting that Musk is already so invested in Tesla that he wouldn’t walk away. That said, Tesla’s board said that it had received unsolicited messages from thousands of shareholders in support of the 2018 pay plan since the judge’s ruling.

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING

President Biden will call for tripling tariffs on Chinese steel. Biden is expected to push for the measures in a meeting with the United Steelworkers union today in Pennsylvania, a top battleground state. The president has previously signaled his opposition to Nippon Steel’s proposed $14.9 billion deal to buy U.S. Steel.

Jay Powell suggests that the Fed may wait to cut interest rates. The central bank’s chair cited recent data showing stubbornly elevated inflation as a reason to delay lowering borrowing costs . Many investors now expect the Fed to start cutting rates in September, as opposed to earlier predictions of June.

United Airlines takes a $200 million charge over the 737 Max 9. The company, which reported an adjusted loss for the first quarter, said it would have been profitable if it weren’t for the grounding of the Boeing jets .

The F.T.C. weighs blocking a big bag deal

The Federal Trade Commission is preparing to sue to block a mega fashion deal, Tapestry’s $8.5 billion takeover of Capri Holdings, which would bring together labels including Versace, Michael Kors and Coach, two people with knowledge of the matter who were not authorized to discuss the deliberations tell DealBook’s Lauren Hirsch.

The F.T.C.’s five commissioners are expected to meet next week to discuss the case, a move that could precede a formal vote on whether to file a lawsuit, the people said. They cautioned that it was still possible that the agency could opt not to sue.

The deal would create an American luxury conglomerate to compete with European powerhouses like LVMH. Executives have said the deal could help grow the brands’ geographic reach and their direct-to-consumer businesses.

But it comes amid a wider slowdown in the luxury business: LVMH reported a drop in first-quarter earnings yesterday, citing economic and geopolitical concerns and a slowdown in China.

The F.T.C. has been scrutinizing the deal for months, even as it was approved by regulators in the European Union and Japan. Investors have increasingly bet against the deal going through: Shares of Capri are down 23 percent this year, while those in Tapestry are up 6 percent.

Monopoly cases in the fashion industry are rare, because there’s no shortage of new labels. “It is the paradigmatic part of the economy where there is ample competition,” Howard Hogan, the chair of the fashion, retail and consumer practice at the law firm Gibson Dunn, told DealBook.

The F.T.C. could argue that putting Michael Kors and Coach under the same roof would limit the need of those brands to compete on price. But Tapestry and Capri could point to the rise of upstart brands like Aupen (which celebrities like Taylor Swift have helped make popular) and Cult Gaia.

The case brings a new angle to the Biden administration’s antitrust efforts. Regulators sometimes introduce competition lawsuits in overlooked industries to prove a point that they are protecting all consumers, as the Justice Department did three decades ago in its failed effort to block Gillette’s takeover of a luxury fountain pen company , according to William Kovacic, a former F.T.C. chair.

But he added that the Tapestry deal was “not a case that has great appeal as a way of protecting the downtrodden.”

Is free trade under threat?

The global economy is on the brink of the “Tepid Twenties,” a period of stable but inflation-sapping growth, the International Monetary Fund has forecast.

But a new warning has emerged this week at the annual I.M.F. and World Bank spring meetings in Washington: the rise in protectionist policies could make things even worse .

Governments introduced more than 2,500 new industrial policies last year, the I.M.F. says . They were mostly intended to protect domestic businesses, but they often mean adding tariffs and subsidies that can have an inflationary effect.

Such measures can squash international growth. The I.M.F. sees global output rising by a lackluster 3.2 percent this year, the same as 2023. But protectionist moves won’t help. “There are different ways of shooting yourself in the foot,” M. Ayhan Kose , the deputy chief economist of the World Bank, told The Times. “This is one way of doing it.”

Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase’s C.E.O., agrees. He warned last week that industrial policies had become so broadly designed as to risk hindering global trade.

Policy may turn more protectionist. Donald Trump, who once labeled himself “tariff man,” has proposed a 10 percent across-the-board tariff on imports and other aggressive measures, if he’s re-elected. E.U. officials are already bracing for a trade fight .

The Biden administration appears to have instigated a wider trend. The U.S. passed bills in 2022 to strengthen its domestic semiconductor industry and the renewable energy sector, after Western governments complained for years about Chinese subsidies for its companies. The European Union responded with its own Green Deal Industrial Plan , and South Korea approved the “ K-Chips Act ” to support its chipmakers.

Guidelines are needed, the I.M.F. argues . Protectionist measures are “only advisable” when they generate clear benefits (such as lower carbon emissions) and when they “do not discriminate against foreign firms.”

THE SPEED READ

Mistral , the French artificial intelligence start-up backed by Microsoft, is said to be in talks to raise more capital at a $5 billion valuation. (The Information)

Rippling is reportedly in talks to raise at least $200 million in a funding round that could value the H.R. company at up to $13.4 billion. (TechCrunch)

The first seven jurors have been picked in Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal trial in Manhattan. (NYT)

The Biden administration is expected to block a mining company’s application to build a 211-mile road through Alaskan wilderness to reach an estimated $7.5 billion copper deposit. (NYT)

Best of the rest

The early report card on bank earnings features a rebound in investment banking and a surge in trading fees . But inflation concerns are clouding their outlooks. (WSJ, Bloomberg)

Here are the American cities that are emerging as hot spots for A.I. jobs . (Axios)

We’d like your feedback! Please email thoughts and suggestions to [email protected] .

Andrew Ross Sorkin is a columnist and the founder and editor at large of DealBook. He is a co-anchor of CNBC’s "Squawk Box" and the author of “Too Big to Fail.” He is also a co-creator of the Showtime drama series "Billions." More about Andrew Ross Sorkin

Ravi Mattu is the managing editor of DealBook, based in London. He joined The New York Times in 2022 from the Financial Times, where he held a number of senior roles in Hong Kong and London. More about Ravi Mattu

Bernhard Warner is a senior editor for DealBook, a newsletter from The Times, covering business trends, the economy and the markets. More about Bernhard Warner

Sarah Kessler is an editor for the DealBook newsletter and writes features on business and how workplaces are changing. More about Sarah Kessler

Michael de la Merced joined The Times as a reporter in 2006, covering Wall Street and finance. Among his main coverage areas are mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies and the private equity industry. More about Michael J. de la Merced

Lauren Hirsch joined The Times from CNBC in 2020, covering deals and the biggest stories on Wall Street. More about Lauren Hirsch

Ephrat Livni reports from Washington on the intersection of business and policy for DealBook. Previously, she was a senior reporter at Quartz, covering law and politics, and has practiced law in the public and private sectors.   More about Ephrat Livni