Meeting the parents in Chinese 见家长

jiàn jiāzhǎng

Meet the parents in Chinese is 见家长 (jiàn jiā zhǎng).

Also searched for as: meet the parents, meeting her parents, meeting his parents, in-laws, bringing a partner home.

The big test: their mum, their dad and lots of questions. 15 essential meeting the parents words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.

Meeting a partner's parents, 见家长 (jiàn jiā zhǎng), is a big step in China, often taken only once a relationship is serious. You'll address them as 叔叔 (shū shu) and 阿姨 (ā yí), "uncle" and "auntie", bring a thoughtful 礼物 (lǐ wù), and face a friendly but thorough round of questions that people jokingly call 查户口 (chá hù kǒu), like having your household register checked.

Usage tips

• Use 叔叔 (shū shu) and 阿姨 (ā yí) rather than first names or 先生 (xiān sheng) and 太太 (tài tai). Greet them as soon as you arrive: 叔叔好，阿姨好 (shū shu hǎo, ā yí hǎo).
• Typical gifts are fruit, good tea, health products or something from your home country. Avoid clocks, since 送钟 (sòng zhōng), "giving a clock", sounds like 送终 (sòng zhōng), attending someone's deathbed.
• Be ready for practical questions about work, family and housing, such as 你是做什么工作的 (nǐ shì zuò shén me gōng zuò de)? It's usually a sign of interest, not rudeness.

Common mistakes

• Learners call a partner's parents 爸爸 (bà ba) and 妈妈 (mā ma) to sound close, but before marriage this is presumptuous. Stick with 叔叔 and 阿姨 until after the wedding.
• Turning down food too firmly can seem cold. When the parents press you to eat more, saying 太好吃了 (tài hǎo chī le) and accepting a little goes down better than a flat 不要 (bù yào).

Mini dialogue

1. A叔叔好，阿姨好！这是给你们带的礼物。Shū shu hǎo, ā yí hǎo! Zhè shì gěi nǐ men dài de lǐ wù.Hello, Uncle, hello, Auntie! I've brought you a little gift.
2. B哎呀，来就来，还带什么礼物！快坐吧。Āi yā, lái jiù lái, hái dài shén me lǐ wù! Kuài zuò ba.Oh, you shouldn't have, just coming is enough! Do sit down.
3. A谢谢阿姨。Xiè xie ā yí.Thank you, Auntie.
4. B小伙子，你是做什么工作的？Xiǎo huǒ zi, nǐ shì zuò shén me gōng zuò de?So, young man, what do you do for a living?
5. A我是工程师，在上海工作。Wǒ shì gōng chéng shī, zài Shàng hǎi gōng zuò.I'm an engineer, working in Shanghai.
6. B不错不错，我们很满意。Bù cuò bù cuò, wǒ men hěn mǎn yì.Very good, we're very pleased.

Example sentences

• 下个月我要去见家长了。I'm meeting the parents next month.
• 叔叔好，我是小王。Hello, Uncle, I'm Xiao Wang.
• 阿姨，您做的菜太好吃了！Auntie, your cooking is delicious!
• 什么时候把她带回家给我们看看？When are you bringing her home to meet us?
• 第一次见家长要带什么礼物？What gift should I bring the first time I meet the parents?
• 你女朋友真懂事。Your girlfriend is very sensible.
• 他爸妈一见面就开始查户口。His parents started grilling me the moment we met.
• 小伙子，你是做什么工作的？So, young man, what do you do for a living?
• 你们打算在哪儿买房？Where are you planning to buy a flat?
• 她家要的彩礼太高了。Her family is asking for a very high bride price.
• 我爸妈对你很满意。My parents really like you.
• 她爸妈反对我们在一起。Her parents are against us being together.
• 老一辈很看重门当户对。The older generation cares a lot about families being well matched.
• 这就是未来的女婿吧？So this must be our future son-in-law?
• 别怕，丑媳妇总要见公婆。Don't worry, you have to face the in-laws sooner or later.

Practise speaking

Ready to use these words? The Meeting the parents speaking island has 8 everyday questions about meeting the parents to prepare your own answers to.

Related topics

• Breaking up & heartbreak 分手失恋
• Long-distance relationships 异地恋
• Flirting & rizz 撩妹撩汉
• Pick-up lines & cheesy lines 土味情话
• Texting your crush 跟暗恋对象聊天
• Dating apps 交友软件
• First dates 第一次约会
• Cute, pretty & handsome 夸人好看

Open the interactive list