好久不见

好久不見
hǎojiǔ bújiàn
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 long time no see
  2. 2 it's been ages

Examples

HSK 3
Hǎojiǔ bújiàn! Nǐ zuìjìn zěnmeyàng?
Long time no see! How have you been?
HSK 3
Lǎo tóngxué, hǎojiǔ bújiàn, nǐ yìdiǎnr dōu méi biàn.
Long time no see, old classmate! You haven't changed a bit.

Tips

usage
The everyday greeting for anyone you have not seen for a while, friends and colleagues alike; the usual answer is to say it back. 久违 means the same but sounds more literary, and also works for things: 久违的阳光 "sunshine we have not seen for ages".
culture
The English "long time no see" is often traced to this phrase, a word-for-word rendering of 好久不见 that passed into English through Chinese Pidgin English.

In Pop Culture

好久不见 Hǎojiǔ bújiàn
Long Time No See
A 2007 ballad by 陈奕迅 (Eason Chan) about hoping to run into a former lover again; a karaoke favourite.

Stroke Order

好 hǎo
久 jiǔ
不 bù
见 jiàn