“你好 nǐ hǎo! - Hello !" It is surely the most famous expression in the Chinese language. “你 nǐ- you“ and “好 hǎo- good” thus constitute a daily greeting of benevolence.
However, there are many expressions in Chinese starting with “你 nǐ- you“, which are not so positive. “有你不多 yǒu nǐ bù duō，无你不少 wú nǐ bù shǎo - with you nothing more, without you nothing less” shows little consideration towards someone; “你东我西 nǐ dōng wǒ xī- you in the east and I in the west” announces a final separation; “你死我活 nǐ sǐ wǒ huó- You die and I live” declares an explosive situation.
Even worse, one of the most used swear words in Chinese also contains “你 nǐ - you“. “去你妈的 qù nǐ mā de” means “Go FXX!”. Learn it but use with caution.
Fortunately, even more positive expressions are displaying: brotherhood - “你兄我弟 nǐ xiōng wǒ dì- you the big brother, I the little brother”; friendship - “你来我去 nǐ lái wǒ qù - you come and I go”; harmony/agreement - “你唱我和 nǐ chàng wǒ hé - you sing and I accompany.”; and love - “你敬我爱 nǐ jìng wǒ ài - you respect and I love”.
“你呢 nǐ ne - and you?” “你好吗 nǐ hǎo ma?” How are you?
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