The Most Useful Small Talk Phrases in Chinese

It’s necessary for people to make small talk as it helps create a relaxed atmosphere and hence leads to closer relationships. Nevertheless, some of the Chinese phrases people use are a bit different from what you might’ve expected. We would like to take this opportunity to give you a brief introduction to five popular Chinese small talk phrases.

Small Talk Phrases in Chinese – Questions About People

1. How have you been recently?

你最近怎么样?
Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?
How have you been recently?

This is one of the most popular Chinese phrases Chinese people use to start a conversation. It’s obviously a good idea to ask about your friend’s life or work to show that you care about them. In this phrase, “最近” (zuìjìn) means “recent”, and “怎么样” (zěnmeyàng) means “how about”. The use of this phrase is pretty flexible as “最近” (zuìjìn) can be replaced by some other words such as “今天” (jīntiān), which means “today”.

2. Have you eaten?

你吃饭了吗?
Nǐ chī fàn le ma?
Have you eaten?

This is one of the most commonly used Chinese phrases when two friends or colleagues meet each other, let’s say, in the afternoon. Many foreigners are surprised after finding out that this phrase can more or less be treated as “How are you?” in English. Meanwhile, this phrase also implicitly reflects the fact of how important the food culture is in Chinese people’s daily lives.

3. What are you doing?

你在干嘛?
Nǐ zài gàn má?
What are you doing?

In China, if you would like to start a casual conversation with your close friends, one of the Chinese phrases you can use is “你在干嘛” (nǐ zài gàn má?), which means “What are you doing?”. This phrase doesn’t insinuate that you are nosy. Generally speaking, it’s acceptable to use this phrase as a “prelude” if you would like to talk to your friends. The word “干嘛” (gàn má) is an informal way to ask “what to do” in Chinese.

4. It seems like you’ve put on some weight.

你好像胖了。
Nǐ hǎoxiàng pàng le.
It seems like you’ve put on some weight.

In most western countries, it’s not acceptable to make comments on people’s size and weight. However, if two Chinese people haven’t seen each other in a long time, one of the Chinese phrases they might utter after they see each other again is “你好像胖了” (nǐ hǎoxiàng pàng le), which means “It seems like you’ve gotten fatter”. Most Chinese people wouldn’t feel offended after hearing that as they understand this phrase is used to create a relaxed atmosphere “in a jokey way” before a conversation starts. “好像” (hǎoxiàng) means “seems”, and “胖” (pàng) means “fat”.

Small Talk Phrases in Chinese – Talking About the Weather

5. It’s really hot/cold today.

今天真热/冷。
Jīntiān zhēn rè/lěng.
It’s really hot/cold today.

Instead of asking what the weather is like, many Chinese people prefer to “judge the weather”. That’s why this is one of the popular Chinese phrases they like to use to start a casual conversation. The weather can sometimes have an influence on people’s moods, which makes it a common topic of discussion during conversations.

We hope these phrases will be useful. To find out more interesting phrases and questions in Chinese, check out one of our blog posts 5 Phrases and Questions to Take a Taxi