· 6 lists · 240 words
Greetings and conversation
Set phrases, reactions, praise and criticism, getting in touch.
What holds these lists together
Chinese politeness is carried less by grammar than by the choice of words, and by what is left unsaid. There is one polite "you", 您, for older people, customers and strangers in a formal setting; among friends the plain 你 is warmer rather than ruder. Thanks weigh more than in English: a formal 谢谢 for a small favour between close friends or family can sound distant, as if the other person were a guest. A compliment is traditionally turned aside rather than accepted, with 哪里哪里, "where, where?", although a simple thank-you is common too. The quick reactions — 真的吗？, 太好了！, 算了 — are learned whole, as they are said, and the lists climb from the first hello to persuading, praising, criticising gently and choosing words with care.
The six lists
Spread across the levels
The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.
| Level | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | 17 % |
| 2 | 9 | 4 % |
| 3 | 74 | 31 % |
| 4 | 77 | 32 % |
| 5 | 40 | 17 % |
Practise this category
Multiple choice and gaps, across all six lists and all 240 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.