In China, if you have been called 帅哥 shuài gē on the street, don’t panic. It is a respectful way to address you, which means “handsome or good looking”. It is quite widely used, you can call your friend 帅哥 shuài gē, call a young man or even a close colleague. But please don’t use this phrase on your boss or elder male relatives.
Let’s see other names to address a man in Chinese.
For general :
1.先生
xiān shēng
Mr./ Sir
你好，先生，有什么需要帮助的？
nǐ hǎo , xiān shēng , yǒu shén me xū yào bāng zhù de？
Hi Sir，how can I help you?
2.男子汉/大丈夫nán zǐ hàn/ dà zhàng fū
a manly man
我是一个男子汉，不怕疼。
wǒ shì yī gè nán zǐ hàn , bù pà téng 。
I’m a man and am not afraid of pain.
3.顶梁柱
dǐng liáng zhù
The backbone
爸爸是我们家的顶梁柱。
bà bà shì wǒ men jiā de dǐng liáng zhù 。
My dad is the backbone of our family.
For kids or teenager:
4.小男孩
xiǎo nán hái
little boy
Tom是个小男孩。
shì yī gè xiǎo nán hái 。
Tom is a little boy.
5.小子
xiǎo zi
Bloke/ naughty boy
小子，别跑！
xiǎo zi , bié pǎo！
Boy, don’t run away!
6.小伙儿
xiǎo huǒ ér
Young fellow
小伙儿，谢谢你帮助我！
xiǎo huǒ ér , xiè xiè nǐ bāng zhù wǒ
Thank you for helping me , young man .
For elderly man :
7.老先生
lǎo xiān shēng
Elder gentleman
这位老先生是我的老师。
zhè wèi lǎo xiān shēng shì wǒ de lǎo shī 。
This elder gentleman is my teacher.
8.大爷
dà ye
Elder uncle
大爷，您小心点！
dà ye, nín xiǎo xīn diǎn.
Uncle, be careful!
For nowadays slang:
9.帅哥
shuài gē
Handsome man
你好，帅哥，很高兴认识你。
nǐ hǎo ， shuài gē ， hěn gāo xìng rèn shí nǐ 。
Hi Handsome, nice to meet you!
10.暖男
nuǎn nán
Sweet guy
他真的是个暖男。
tā zhēn de shì gè nuǎn nán。
He is such a sweet guy.
11.渣男
zhā nán
Playboy/irresponsible man
我男朋友是个渣男，我们分手了。
wǒ nán péng yǒu shì gè zhā nán ， wǒ men fēn shǒu le。
My boyfriend is a playboy and we broke up .
After learning these 11 words to address a man, let’s also learn some words to praise a man.
1.绅士\君子
shēn shì/ jūn zǐ
a gentleman/ a man of noble character
2.体贴\真诚
tǐ tiē \zhēn chéng
thoughtful\ genuine
3. 玉树临风\温文尔雅
yù shù lín fēng \wēn wén ěr yǎ
describe a young man’s talents as well as his physical appearance\
gentle and cultivated
4.气宇轩航\才貌双全
qì yǔ xuān háng \cái mào shuāng quán
have an imposing appearance\be endowed with both beauty and talent
If you are considering to prepare a gift for a 帅哥 shuài gē、, these following items can be good options.
剃须刀 – tì xū dāo -a Razor
领带 – lǐng dài – a Tie
西装 – xī zhuāng- a Suit
皮带 – pí dài – a Leather belt
衬衫 – chèn shān – a Shirt
公文包 – gōng wén bāo – a Briefcase
皮鞋 – pí xié – Leather shoes
古龙水 – gǔ lóng shuǐ – colognes
手表 – shǒu biǎo – a Watch
打火机 – dǎ huǒ jī – a lighter
Wish you all have learned something about Chinese addressing for man. Next time, when they call you 帅哥 shuài gē, please kindly reply 你好nǐ hǎo，帅哥 shuài gē or 你好nǐ hǎo，美女měi nǚ！You will get a kind smile back and maybe more !
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