3 of the Most Famous Words in Chinese

You asked, so I’m here to answer! An eChineseLearning student was recently puzzled about the differences among "有名 (yǒumíng)," "著名 (zhùmíng)" and 闻名 (wénmíng) in Chinese. She asked, "Why are there 3 words for the same thing?" I assured her that they really have different uses and are quite easy to differentiate once you learn them.

Since this is actually a common question that I get from many Chinese beginners, I’d like to explain all of the differences among the 3 of them and clear up the confusion.

1. "有名 (Yǒumíng)" is the most common word used in relaxed, spoken Chinese and is often used in the following structures:

N + 很 (hěn) /最 (zuì) /非常 (fēicháng) + 有名 (yǒumíng)
Or
有名的 (Yǒumíng de) + N

Literally, "有 (Yǒu)" means "has/have," "名 (míng)" means "name" or "fame," so "有名 (yǒumíng)" means "has one's name (heard by others) /has fame," hence "famous." "很 (hěn)" / "非常 (fēicháng)" means "very," and "最 (zuì)" refers to "most." They are all adverbs, which often pair with an adjective and play the role of emphatic rhetoric in the following sentences.

Example 1:
Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng hěn yǒumíng.
这里的风景很有名。
The scenery here is very famous.

Example 2:
Tā shì yí wèi yǒumíng de lǎoshī.
她是一位有名的老师。
She is a famous teacher.

2. "著名 (Zhùmíng)" is a more formal equivalent used especially to describe a person, place or thing that is famous for their achievements and most likely a positive reputation.

"著 (Zhù)" means "prominent," so "著名(zhùmíng) " means "(has) a prominent name (heard by many)" and is remarkable.

Example 1:
Gùgōng shì Zhōnguó zhùmíng de jiànzhùwù.
故宫是中国著名的建筑物。
The Forbidden City is a remarkable building in China.

Example 2:
Shā shì bǐ yà shì shìjiè zhùmíng de zuòjiā.
莎士比亚是世界著名的作家。
Shakespeare is a world-famous writer.

3. "闻名 (Wénmíng)" is a word used in literary Chinese and formal written Chinese. It often used in 4-Character Idioms such as:

"举世闻名 (Jǔshìwénmíng) world famous," "天下闻名 (tiānxià wénmíng) world famous," "远近闻名 (yuǎnjìn wénmíng) well-known"

"闻 (Wén)" means "be heard of," so "闻名 (wénmíng)" means "be known for/ have fame for."

Click "Read more" to learn more examples and notes.

Compliments, modest remarks, and polite expressions are all forms of respect. We have these in every culture; complimenting the other party or praising them for something they have accomplished, belittling oneself as a form of modesty, as well as terms of respect that express politeness. These are all important parts of an elegant conversation.

Honoring the other party in a conversation consists of "modest speech," or expressions to show respect and politeness. Using these effectively exhibits that the speaker is charming and polite. Therefore, it is necessary to learn how to use some honorific terms in interpersonal communication.

These terms and phrases are often used in the following situations:

1. Greetings:

• When you greet a teacher, elder or senior, you should say "您好 (nín hǎo) Hello."
• When you ask someone's last name, you can say "贵姓 (guìxìng) honorable surname (a formal expression to ask one’s family name)" or you can put these together and say "您好，请问您贵姓？ (nǐn hǎo, qǐnwèn nǐn guìxìng?) Hello, may I ask your family name?"
• When you meet someone you have admired or heard good things about for a long time, you can say "久仰 (jiǔyǎng) I have been admiring you for a long time."
• When meeting someone for the first time, you can say："幸会 (xìnghuì) Nice to meet you. / I’m very pleased to see you."

These words convey three things: how much you respect them, how kind you are, and it also expresses that you are expecting a friendship with them. At the same time, it also shows how cultured you are, that you have manners, and you are very polite.

2. Expressing Thanks and Responding to Thanks and Praises Given:

• After others offer help, give support, show care and respect, or praise you, the simplest and most effective response is to say "谢谢 (xièxie) thanks!"
• How you can respond when someone says "谢谢 (xièxie)!":
" 不用谢 (bú yòng xiè) You’re so welcome!’’ and "不客气 (bú kèqì) My pleasure! /Don’t mention it! / I’m glad to help!" as a polite response.
(How Do We Use the Chinese Phrase "不客气 (bú kèqì)?")
• How you can respond when someone praises you:
• You can say "过奖了 (guòjiǎng le), I don't deserve it! / You flatter me!"

3. When Asking for Help:

• When you ask someone for advice, you might say "向您请教（xiàng nǐn qǐngjiào) consult with you."
• When you ask someone for help, you could say "拜托 (bàituō) Could you please do something?"
• When you ask someone who is busy with something, you might say "打扰 (dǎrǎo) Excuse me."

4. Excusing Oneself And Making an Apology:

• When you can't meet others’ demands, you can say "抱歉 (bàoqiàn) sorry" or"不好意思 (búhǎoyìsī) sorry."
• When you ask people to tolerate little mistakes we’ve made, we may say "包涵 (bāohán) Please forgive…"
• When we have to leave halfway through a meeting or party, we can say "失陪(shīpéi) Please excuse me for a minute. / Could you please excuse me for a minute? / Would you please excuse me for a bit?"
• When asking others for understanding, you may say "见谅 (jiànliàng) Excuse me. / Forgive me."

Sidenote:

Some of these phrases, such as "贵姓 (guìxìng)" "久仰 (jiǔyǎng)" "幸会 (xìnghuì)" "抱歉 (bàoqiàn)" "包涵 (bāohán)" "失陪 (shīpéi)" "见谅 (jiànliàng) " are not commonly spoken in daily conversations these days because they are a bit more formal. They are more often used in business situations or while attending important meetings, or you might hear them used in Chinese TV dramas.

Quiz:

Please chosse the best option and make the dialogue complete:

Lì Li: Xiǎo Xīn, nǐ zěnme lā?
丽丽：小新，你怎么啦？

Xiǎo Xīn: Duìbùqǐ, wǒ xiān ( ) yí xià, xiànzài yǒu jiàn jǐnjí de shìqíng yào chǔlǐ.
小新：对不起，我先( )一下，现在有件紧急的事情要处理。

A. 失陪 (Shīpéi)
B. 包涵 (Bāohán)
C. 原谅 (Yuánliàng)
D. 见谅 (Jiànliàng)
See Answer Analysis