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Q: Why do most Chinese people say "bye bye" instead of zai jian 再见?
I have noticed that most Chinese say "bye bye" instead of the Putonghua equivalent of zai jian when bidding farewell.
Also, all the buses use the Roman numerals for their bus route number instead of Chinese numbers.
What other peculiarities like this have you noticed in the Middle Kingdom?
EDIT : I meant "Western" numbers such as 1, 28, 52, etc. and not Roman numerals.........Incidentally, what are the "Western" numbers called?
My first trip to China was in 2005, and nobody said "bye bye". At least not that I remember. By about 2007 it had become common, and now everyone seems to say it.
As stiggs says above, I have said bye bye and people have been amazed at my Chinese.
I think this is an English phrase that has been assimilated. Chinese seem to have claimed it as their own and deny they have copied it.
The really weird thing is that, a few times now when I've said bye, or bye bye I've been complimented on my Chinese. Um, what....?
"Western" numbers are usually referred to as "Arabic" numbers which in itself is a misnomer because they don't actually use "Arabic" numbers in Arabic. "Western" numbers are most likely Indian in origin.
There is no such thing as western numbers. China uses the English number system the very same reason why virtually all other civilized or trying to be civilized countries do, it makes things easier.
Hotwater:
Actually, as Andyinshenhyang points out, the "English/Western" number system is actually Arsbic (God forbid, MUSLIM!) in origin.
China has its own character system for numbers, especially in banking. Look it up sometime.
Shining_brow:
Fapiaos have those numbers, Hots... And I'd presume they're written on the money somewhere as well.
Hotwater:
This wiki page shows the comparisons between general numbers on characters and financial numbers used in banking to prevent fraud (一 being easy to change to 十)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_numerals
maybe the Chinese say byebye to you more often because you are a non-Chinese in this strange land and they either want to show off or assume you wouldn't understand 'zaijian', whereas they say zaijian to their cousins... I mean compatriots. But they use it because it makes them feel modern as well.
Another thing that strikes me as ehm, remarkable is the use of two calendars at the same time, which means a different time, of course. Sun vs. moon, it is the first day of the fourth month today and they might just as well call it April 1st.
Shining_brow:
a) Chinese say it to themselves without us being around (or, at least, without doing it consciously because of our presence).
Maybe it's one of those 'lucky' things... 'bai' sounds like 'ba' sounds like... bluurrgghhhh
b) No, April is very European.. January comes from Janus, the god of two faces who sees the old and new years.Etc etc. So, 'April' doesn't fit either. 四月一日 does.
Vyborg:
'... and they might just as well call it April 1st.' 'They', referring to the Chinese, only being confusing, I might add, since it doesn't fit at all, exactly my point, thank you.
In the USA ...an' maybe the chinese picked up on this..we tend to say "buh bye"...when we mean, "Get f'ckn lost, ahole"....
buh bye.
My first trip to China was in 2005, and nobody said "bye bye". At least not that I remember. By about 2007 it had become common, and now everyone seems to say it.
As stiggs says above, I have said bye bye and people have been amazed at my Chinese.
I think this is an English phrase that has been assimilated. Chinese seem to have claimed it as their own and deny they have copied it.
just asked the minister for war and finance and she says its bye bye is 88 which is lucky numbers and it is just something they do .
please note this is the closest ive come to getting a straight answer from a Chinese person
ok
adios
.ScotsAlan:
That explains why everyone knows the words to "Ba ba black sheep, have you any wool..." :-) Ha ha. I bet phil will accuse me of being racist against black sheep :-) Actually. I have never thought of this before. Is "Ba ba black sheep.." Racist? I might Bing that later.
Stiggs:
Wait, what? You have something against sheep now? It's not their fault they were born sheep and not a dolphin or something. Sheepophobe ! 
philbravery:
good thing he is Scottish and not a Kiwi or he would have many a lonely night .
jetfire9000:
Nah, 88 is the convenient "net speak" you'd type on a computer, ie, QQ, some forum, or now Wechat. Two numerals, nice and quick. But the actual characters would be "拜拜“ Bai Bai. Which requires more effort to input, so people prefer 88.
.What I have heard is similar to some of the answers about it sounding similar to 'ba' so it is easier for them to say that instead of zai jian. I have also had them say 88 to me on QQ which would validate that theory.
Ha. Because we were saying 拜拜，not bye bye. 拜拜 is proper Chinese.
Shining_brow:
Unfortunately, the dictionary clearly states that it's a 'loanword'.. ie, it wasn't originally a part of Chinese - AS A WAY to say 'goodbye' - and has only come over (and been justified) recently.
SpongeBob:
Why does it matter if it's loaned or robbed? The point is when Chinese are saying it, they are saying it as Chinese, or the Chinese version of it, not the English version of it. And that should answer the question, doesn't it?
Shining_brow:
Because it's dishonest...
They're NOT saying '拜拜' - at least, they weren't saying that, until someone pointed out that they were trying to use English - and couldn't / wouldn't take the 'face loss', and so had to come up with something to justify it.
'Bye bye' is English. Chinese started saying it,. It caught on. Then someone got all 'meh meh' about it, and had to find a way to make it Chinese. It's the 'everything is actually Chinese' crap again that's annoying! The only thing that's not Chinese, it seems, are problems and bad people!
So, it would be MUCH more honest of you to just admit that it's an appropriation of an English phrase... rather than backpedal and say "oh, no... it's not really English... It's a Chinese phrase... we've been saying that for 50000000 years".
SpongeBob:
what do i have to admit. chinese are using baibai for generations, perhaps before my parents were born...i got it from my grandparents who had no idea what english is...it could be a borrowed word but after such a long time, everyone's using it, it is a Chinese word now. Every language has loan words, just because it's originated from English does not mean we should abandon it right? so what's the problem that Chinese are speaking Chinese? And for the face thing? What the hell are you talking about? Check Chinese words for chocolate and sofa and jeep, similar sounds as English but the words are Chinese words that's how we say it. If you are having a problem with it, you really shouldn't go to Japan.
philbravery:
careful he has a uni degree so he must be right lol even if it is from Macdonalds
jetfire9000:
The words are Chinese words, but the more accurate statement is that they are English words that have become reconstituted as Chinese words, to be understandable and communicable for Chinese speakers. It is not their "Chineseness" that is in dispute, but their "origins." Words such as 巧克力（qiao ke li aka chocolate) 吉普 (ji pu aka Jeep) 阿迪达斯（adi da si aka Addidas) 卡路里 (ka lu li aka Calorie) 引擎 (Yin Qin aka Engine) 逻辑 (Luo JI aka logic) 幽默 (You mo aka Humor) and many more, are all obviously Chinese transcriptions of English words- Transcription being defined as the conversion of one script to another, which is concerned with the sound of the word instead of its written form. Yes, these are all "imports" and did not originate within the Chinese language itself, but from foreign words - note their linguistic similarity.
You shouldn't take offence to this argument, in the way that you seem perceived to be doing so. To point out these transcriptions is not to attach any kind of " cultural superirority" to their original languages - As Chinese often seem to be implying a type of cultural or historical superiority in such arguments of the respective origins of different things, when Western people acknowledge the origins of such words, they are doing so purely as a matter-of-fact with no strings attached. They would not be foolish to argue cultural superiority on such a fickle basis, simply because borrowing of words is a pretty universal occurrence to most languages.
SpongeBob:
Pleco says it's a loanword.. so, Chinese heard it from us English speakers, who then incorporated it into the Chinese language (as sometimes we'll say 'ciao' or 'adios' or '<insert other language words for goodbye>'), which happens to nicely coincide with that other 'lucky' sounding word - 'ba' (cos, you know, even though you make one small change to pronunciation, and NO-ONE understands you... it's perfectly ok to do it if it fits something else).
Spongebob above says it's 'proper Chinese". Again, according to Pleco (and, yes, I'd take Pleco's word for it over any Chinese person's), 拜拜 IS Chinese - BUT... it means "1. to pay one's respects by bowing with hands in front of one's chest, clasping joss sticks, or with palms pressed together. 2. (Taiwan) religious ceremony in which offerings are made to a deity".
So, Chinese can 'justify' it and say it's not something they took from foreignerland, but Scots said - it wasn't particularly common way back when - until we came here.
Cultural appropriation is fine! But at least be HONEST about it!
Stiggs:
I think bye bye is a little like the case with pinyin.
People have told me that pinyin is Chinese (which it sort of is) but that the letters and phonic system of using them was Chinese too and always have been. It's not.
People assume that because it's part of everyday Chinese life now then it must always have been.
I've even had people tell me that KFC is Chinese, I assume for the same reason.
I am the first to admit that my Mandarin is rubbish. Just good enough to get around and buy beer.
But after 4 years of being full time here, I still don't know the word for "sorry". That must be indicative of the culture.
