<p>The most common way to express <em>bon appétit</em> in more formal situations is:</p>

<p><strong>请慢用</strong></p>

<p>请[qing3] = please</p>

<p>慢用[man4 yong4] = Enjoy your meal! / Bon appetit!</p>

<p>If you find this too formal you may take off the 'please' (请) and just say: <strong>慢用</strong>.</p>

<p>Mind you this is most likely going to be said by a waiter/waitress in a restaurant or someone who is not joining the meal.</p>

<p><strong>慢慢吃</strong></p>

<p>is an option, but also usually said by someone who has finished eating before the rest of the party. </p>

<p><strong>慢</strong></p>

<p>Although, 慢 does mean slow(ly) in general in phrases like <strong>慢点</strong> (take care/be careful) or <strong>慢慢X</strong> (慢慢走(take care)、慢慢吃(enjoy!), etc.) it doesn't, literally, mean <em>slow</em> but <em>to take your time</em>.</p>

<p><strong>好吃吧</strong></p>

<p>好吃吧 is made up of two parts 好吃 + 吧 —or— tasty + (I) guess. So this phrase really means - (It's) good, I guess. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-08T16:00:19.530Z
Oh, I thought it would be a suggestion to enjoy the food. Are all these equally formal as itadakimasu in Japanese? Also, is hao3 chi1 hao3 he1 something that can be said by someone joining the meal?
Reya
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-09T02:42:55.500Z
いただきます is often translated as 开饭了. 好吃好喝 wouldn't really equate to bon appétit, per se, because you're really saying something like "the food and drink all tastes very good".
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-08T10:19:25.903Z
2017-05-08T10:19:25.903Z
Mou某
<p>I already know the various Chinese phrases for "bon appétit" such as "chi1 hao2 he1 hao2" or "man4 man4 chi1" but they either seem to formal or like someone's scolding you to eat slowly. Is "hao3 chi2 ba" a legitimate way to express the sentiment? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-08T09:18:08.903Z
It depends on your tone. No one will think you rude by asking their meal tasty or not.
Chek Wei Tan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-08T09:23:25.350Z
I actually meant it as a suggestion...would be that rude? Like "eat well".
Reya
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-08T10:00:27.993Z
慢用 or 请慢用 might be better for you want to express.
Mou某
<food>
Is saying hao3 ch1i ba rude?
# Is saying hao3 ch1i ba rude?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-05-08)

I already know the various Chinese phrases for "bon appétit" such as "chi1 hao2 he1 hao2" or "man4 man4 chi1" but they either seem to formal or like someone's scolding you to eat slowly. Is "hao3 chi2 ba" a legitimate way to express the sentiment?

**Tags:** food

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It depends on your tone. No one will think you rude by asking their meal tasty or not.  
> **username_0**: I actually meant it as a suggestion...would be that rude? Like "eat well".  
> **username_2**: 慢用 or 请慢用 might be better for you want to express.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-05-08. Score: 1

The most common way to express *bon appétit* in more formal situations is:

**请慢用**

请[qing3] = please

慢用[man4 yong4] = Enjoy your meal! / Bon appetit!

If you find this too formal you may take off the 'please' (请) and just say: **慢用**.

Mind you this is most likely going to be said by a waiter/waitress in a restaurant or someone who is not joining the meal.

**慢慢吃**

is an option, but also usually said by someone who has finished eating before the rest of the party.

**慢**

Although, 慢 does mean slow(ly) in general in phrases like **慢点** (take care/be careful) or **慢慢X** (慢慢走(take care)、慢慢吃(enjoy!), etc.) it doesn't, literally, mean *slow* but *to take your time*.

**好吃吧**

好吃吧 is made up of two parts 好吃 + 吧 —or— tasty + (I) guess. So this phrase really means - (It's) good, I guess.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Oh, I thought it would be a suggestion to enjoy the food. Are all these equally formal as itadakimasu in Japanese? Also, is hao3 chi1 hao3 he1 something that can be said by someone joining the meal?  
> **username_2**: いただきます is often translated as 开饭了. 好吃好喝 wouldn't really equate to bon appétit, per se, because you're really saying something like "the food and drink all tastes very good".  

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