The Chinese languages, including Mandarin, Cantonese and Shanghainese among others, are spoken by more people on earth than any other first language. Once thought of as being impenetrable to outsiders, each year thousands of non-Chinese study Chinese languages and enhance their 'China experience' by being able to communicate directly with Chinese people from all walks of life.

Question: What is the most traditional and common form of greeting someone in Chinese?

1. Do you have rice?

While to non-Chinese this may seem reasonable in China, it's not a greeting.

2. How are your rice paddies!

China remains an agrarian economy with over 75% of the working population being engaged in some type of agricultural pursuit. This is not a greeting though but a good question for any of the 67 million people involved in the production of rice in China (yes 67 million people grow rice in China!).

3. How have you been?

No. Despite the introduction of many things Western to China such as McDonalds, the NBA, baseball, Coke and the ever-increasing reliance of motor vehicles, Western-style greetings are not that common. Good-bye and Bye-bye are becoming more popular especially with the cell-phone touting younger generation.

4. Have you eaten?

Chi Le Mei You? The standard greeting when bumping into a friend, friend-of-a-friend, family member or indeed anyone else. Have you eaten, is when you think about it, a very polite and considerate form of greeting allowing you to show that you are thinking of the person's well-being. Remember that a little Chinese language goes along way in China or in any one of the hundreds of Chinatowns around the world!