一步一个脚印

Listen and download Lesson 10 of Basic Spoken Chinese

Basic Spoken Chinese – Lesson 10: 高兴 gāoxìng, “pleased”

Literally: “pleased”.

Meaning: Used to express one’s pleasure when interacting with others.

Examples:

1) 认识你很高兴。

Rènshi nǐ hěn gāoxìng.

Pleased to meet you.

Note: Can also be expressed as 很高兴认识你 hěn gāoxìng rènshi nǐ.

2) 我们很高兴为您服务。
Wǒmen hěn gāoxìng wèi nín fúwù.

We are happy to serve you.

3) 非常高兴收到您的邮件。
Fēicháng gāoxìng shōudào nín de yóujiàn.

I was very pleased to receive your email.

New words:

高兴 gāoxìng (adj.): glad; happy; pleased e.g. 我很高兴听到那个消息 wǒ hěn gāoxìng tīngdào nà ge xiāoxi (“I’m happy to hear that”), 看到孩子们有进步，他心里很高兴 kàndào háizimen yǒu jìnbù, tā xīnlǐ hěn gāoxìng (“he was pleased to see that the kids had made progress”), etc.

认识 rènshi (v.): to know (somebody); to be acquainted with (apart from a few other meanings; learn this usage first) e.g. 你在哪里认识他？ nǐ zài nǎlǐ rènshi tā (“where did you meet him?”), 我在学校认识他 wǒ zài xuéxiào rènshi tā (“I met him at school”)

我们 wǒmen (pron.): we; us e.g. 我们是朋友 wǒmen shì péngyou (“we are friends”), 他跟我们不一样 tā gēn wǒmen bù yīyàng (“he is different to us”), etc.

为 wèi (adv.): for; to (apart from a few other meanings; learn this usage first) e.g. 我能为你做点什么吗？ wǒ néng wèi nǐ zuò diǎn shénme ma? (“what can I do for you?”), 我真为你高兴！ wǒ zhēn wèi nǐ gāoxìng (“I am really happy for you!”), etc.

服务 fúwù 1. (v.) to serve; to provide service为人民服务 wèi rénmín fúwù (“to serve the people”) 2. (n.) service 为客户提供优秀服务 wèi kèhù tígōng yōuxiù fúwù (“to provide excellent service to customers”)

非常 fēicháng (adv.): extremely; very; highly e.g. 非常感谢你的帮助！ fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ de bāngzhù (lit. “extremely grateful your help” i.e. “thank you so much for your help!”), 他工作非常努力 tā gōngzuò fēicháng nǔlì (“he works very hard”)

收到 shōudào (v.): to receive 妈妈收到了一封信 māma shōudào le yī fēng xìn (“mum received a letter”), 我今天上午收到了快递 wǒ jīntiān shàngwǔ shōudào le kuàidì (“I received an express package this morning”), etc.

邮件 yóujiàn (n.): 1. mail; postal item 有我的邮件吗？ yǒu wǒ de yóujiàn ma (“is there any mail for me?”) 2. e-mail (i.e. short for 电子邮件 diànzǐ yóujiàn) e.g. 你给我发邮件吧 nǐ gěi wǒ fā yóujiàn ba (“send me an e-mail”)

Did you know?

There are many words that could be translated as “happy” (adj.) or “happiness” (n.) in Chinese. 高兴 gāoxìng describes a short-lived feeling of pleasure, and is usually used in polite or professional settings. 开心 (lit. “open-the-heart”) also describes a kind of short-lived happiness, though it is usually used when having fun with one’s friends and family. 快乐 kuàilè is another common word for “happy” in Chinese – you’ll often see it in greetings like 生日快乐！ shēngrì kuàilè (“happy birthday!”) and 圣诞快乐！ shèngdàn kuàilè (“Merry Christmas!”). Lastly, there is a specific word in Chinese to describe a state of long-term happiness with one’s life. This word is 幸福 xìngfú. It implies having a loving family, spouse, or a sense of general well-being. There is no exact equivalent in the English language.