Goodbye in Chinese: Zàijiàn, Bàibài and Audio Examples
Hear 再见, 拜拜 and other Mandarin goodbye phrases. Practise saying you are leaving and understanding a farewell, with pronunciation and a short dialogue.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr LearnYour first Chinese phrases
Listen to a phrase, then try saying it aloud. The full conversation is below.
再见
Goodbye
zài jiàn (falling tone, falling tone)拜拜
Bye-bye
bái bái (rising tone, rising tone) — often also pronounced bāi bāi (high level tone, high level tone)告辞
I take my leave
gào cí (falling tone, rising tone)
This lesson introduces five Mandarin farewells and helps you choose according to the situation and your role in the exchange. 再见 is a useful neutral goodbye, while 拜拜 is casual. 告辞 can sound formal or ceremonious, so it is not the default for an ordinary workplace goodbye. 我先走了 is said by someone heading off before others; 慢走 is said to someone who is leaving. Listen to the recordings, then practice the final dialogue with the leaving and staying roles clearly separated.
By the end, you can…
- say goodbye in formal, neutral, and casual Mandarin situations.
- choose a farewell based on the relationship and the setting.
- use 慢走 and 我先走了 appropriately when leaving or seeing someone off.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
再见
Goodbye
zài jiàn (falling tone, falling tone)
The standard, neutral farewell. Safe with strangers, teachers, colleagues, and service staff. It works in almost any setting.
拜拜
Bye-bye
bái bái (rising tone, rising tone) — often also pronounced bāi bāi (high level tone, high level tone)
Casual and friendly. Used with friends, classmates, and people your own age. It comes from English 'bye-bye' and is very common in speech. The first syllable is often pronounced with a high level tone (bāi bāi), though bái bái is also heard.
告辞
I take my leave
gào cí (falling tone, rising tone)
Formal and somewhat literary. It can suit a ceremonious departure, but is less usual as an everyday workplace goodbye. 再见 is a neutral polite alternative.
我先走了
I'm heading off first
wǒ xiān zǒu le (third tone, first tone, third tone, neutral)
Said when you leave before others. It is soft and polite, common at work, at a party, or in a group setting.
慢走
Take care as you go
màn zǒu (falling tone, third tone)
Said by the person staying to the person leaving. Hosts, shopkeepers, and elders say it to guests and customers. It is warm and polite. It is not a literal instruction to walk slowly; it expresses care for the departing person.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
A useful pattern is 我先走了 (wǒ xiān zǒu le), meaning 'I'm heading off first.' The word 先 (xiān) means 'first' and softens the exit, suggesting others may stay. You can add a next-meeting farewell: 我先走了，明天见 (wǒ xiān zǒu le, míng tiān jiàn) 'I'm heading off first, see you tomorrow.' To be more polite, add 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) 'sorry to interrupt': 不好意思，我先走了 (bù hǎo yì si, wǒ xiān zǒu le). This pattern is common at work and at gatherings. It is not used when you are the host seeing a guest off; then 慢走 (màn zǒu) is better.
When to use it
再见 is a useful neutral default with people you do not know well, including shop staff, teachers and new colleagues. 拜拜 is casual; whether it fits depends on the relationship and setting. 告辞 means taking your leave and can sound ceremonious. Knowing an expression is formal does not mean it is the best choice every time you leave a workplace or an older person's home. In the recorded exchange, the departing speaker says 不好意思，我先走了。 The person staying replies 好，慢走！ Practice those two roles before trying other farewell combinations.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
王老师，再见！
Goodbye, Teacher Wang!Wáng lǎo shī, zài jiàn!再见，明天见。
Goodbye, see you tomorrow.zài jiàn, míng tiān jiàn.不好意思，我先走了。
Sorry, I'm heading off first.bù hǎo yì si, wǒ xiān zǒu le.好，慢走！
Okay, take care as you go!hǎo, màn zǒu!A little context goes a long way
A farewell can mention the next meeting: the recorded reply 再见，明天见。 means 'Goodbye, see you tomorrow.' In the final exchange, 好，慢走！ functions as a courteous farewell to the person leaving. It is not an instruction about walking speed in that context. Choose an expression for the relationship and situation rather than treating age or job title as a fixed rule. 再见 is a useful neutral default; 告辞 can sound ceremonious.
One thing to watch for
Saying 慢走 when you are the person leaving, rather than the person seeing someone off.
Try this instead: Use 我先走了 when you are heading off first. The person staying can reply 好，慢走！ as in the dialogue. 再见 is a neutral goodbye; 拜拜 is more casual, while 告辞 can sound ceremonious.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You want a neutral goodbye rather than the more ceremonious 'I take my leave.' Which expression in this lesson fits?
Show a sample answer
再见
再见 is the neutral choice taught here. 告辞 means taking your leave and can sound ceremonious; a formal setting alone does not make it the only appropriate farewell.
2A guest is leaving your home. What do you say as the host?
Show a sample answer
慢走 (màn zǒu).
慢走 is said by the person staying to the person leaving. It shows warmth and care. 再见 can also be added, as in 慢走，再见.
3You are at a party and need to leave before your friends. What is a natural line?
Show a sample answer
我先走了 (wǒ xiān zǒu le).
This means 'I'm heading off first' and softens the exit. You can add 明天见 (míng tiān jiàn) 'see you tomorrow' to make it warmer.
4In the last two recorded lines, which speaker is leaving and which is staying? Give each speaker's exact recorded line, then swap roles and repeat.
Show a sample answer
A is leaving: 不好意思，我先走了。 B is staying: 好，慢走！
我先走了 identifies the person heading off first. 慢走 addresses that departing person. Do not have A say 慢走 to B while B stays behind. Listen to the final two dialogue recordings to check the order.
Choose 再见 for a neutral goodbye and 拜拜 for a casual one. Recognize that 告辞 can sound ceremonious. In the final recorded exchange, the person leaving says 不好意思，我先走了。 and the person staying replies 好，慢走！ Practice both roles.
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