In this article, we’ll look at a bunch of situations where people ask and respond to How are you? in different ways. First, let’s look at a classic example conversation using this phrase:
在这篇文章中,我们将看一系列的情况,人们会问你,你的反应如何?以不同的方式。首先,让我们看一个经典的对话示例:

A: Hello, how are you?
A: 你好,你好吗?

B: I’m well, thank you. And you?
B: 我很好,谢谢。你呢?

A: I’m well, thank you.
A: 我很好,谢谢。

Here, person A uses the question How are you? as a standard greeting. It’s customary to respond, but it’s not always necessary. In this case, person B decides to respond with I’m well. Notice that he uses the adverb well as a modifier for the verb to be (which becomes I’m). This is grammatically the most correct way to respond, but as we’ll see later, it’s not the only way. Person B then returns the question by asking, And you?, to which person A gives a similar response. Let’s look at the next scenario:
在这里,人A会问你怎么样?作为标准的问候语。这是习惯性的回应,但并不总是必要的。在这种情况下,人B决定回答我很好。注意,他使用副词作为动词be的修饰语(变成了I'm)。这是语法上最正确的回应方式,但正如我们稍后将看到的,这不是唯一的方式。然后,B个人通过提问返回问题,你呢?,对此,A个人给出了类似的回答。让我们看看下一个场景:

A: Hey, how are you?
A: 嘿,你好吗?

B: I’m good, thanks! You?
B: 我很好,谢谢!你呢?

A: I’m fine. Lately, just classes and work.
A: 我很好。最近,只是上课和工作。

Here, person B responds to the question How are you? not by saying I’m well but by saying I’m good. The word good is an adjective and traditionally not a proper modifier for the verb to be. But although this may be considered grammatically incorrect, it’s actually a much more common response than I’m well, which often sounds too stiff and formal. Another natural-sounding alternative is to say I’m fine, just as person A says in the third line. Notice that you can return the question of How are you? in several ways:
在这里,B个人回答你怎么样了?我说我不好。good这个词是个形容词,传统上不是动词to be的适当修饰语。虽然这可能被认为是语法错误,但实际上这是一个比“我很好”更常见的回答,这听起来太生硬和正式了。另一个听起来很自然的选择是说我很好,就像第三行的人A说的那样。注意,您可以返回“你好吗?”?在几个方面:

How are you? /And you? /You? /How about you?
你好吗?/你呢?/你呢?/你呢?

This next scenario is a bit more complicated:
下一个场景要复杂一些:

Friend A: Hey, I haven’t seen you in forever!
朋友甲:嘿,我好久没见你了!

Friend B: I know! How have you been doing?
朋友B:我知道!你最近怎么样?

Friend A: I’ve been doing well, thanks. How about you?
朋友A:我一直很好,谢谢。你呢?

Friend B: Hanging in there. Want to grab lunch sometime?
朋友B:在那儿等着。想找个时间吃午饭吗?

Friend A: Yeah, I’m down!
朋友A:是啊,我倒下了!

First off, instead of simply asking How are you?, friend B asks a slightly different question: How have you been doing? The difference is that while How are you? simply asks about a current state, How have you been doing? asks how a person has been doing lately. In other words, it’s a way to catch up with the other person. In this conversation, it’s an appropriate question since the two friends haven’t seen each other in a long time. You can also say How have you been?, which means the same thing. Similarly, How are you? and How are you doing? basically mean the same thing and are both commonly used. In response, friend A conforms with the present perfect progressive tense by saying, I’ve been doing well. Here, it actually sounds natural to use the adverb well because it’s modifying the verb to do, not the verb to be. Friend B, on the other hand, responds to friend A’s question by saying Hanging in there. This is a casual idiom that basically means that life has been difficult (hectic, stressful, etc.), but the person is managing to keep up. Since How are you? is used as a greeting, it’s common for the other person to respond in order to reciprocate the greeting, such as in this conversation at a supermarket:
首先,不要简单地问你怎么样?,朋友B问了一个稍微不同的问题:你最近怎么样?不同的是你怎么样了?简单地问一个现状,你最近怎么样?问一个人最近过得怎么样。换句话说,这是一种追赶他人的方式。在这次谈话中,这是一个恰当的问题,因为这两个朋友很久没见面了。你也可以说你过得怎么样?,意思是一样的。同样,你好吗?你好吗?基本上意思相同,都是常用的。作为回应,朋友A用现在完成时进行时说:“我做得很好”。在这里,很好地使用副词听起来很自然,因为它修饰的是动词to do,而不是动词to be。另一方面,朋友B回答朋友A的问题时说“坚持住”。这是一个不经意的习语,基本意思是生活很艰难(忙乱,压力等),但这个人正在努力跟上。你怎么样了?作为问候语,对方通常会回应对方的问候语,例如在超市的这段对话中:

Cashier: Hi, how are you?
收银员:嗨,你好吗?

Customer: I’m good, thank you. How are you?
顾客:很好,谢谢。你好吗?

Cashier: I’m doing well, thanks. Did you find everything alright today?
收银员:我很好,谢谢。你今天一切都好吗?

Cashier: Yes, thank you.
收银员:好的,谢谢。

However, as I mentioned before, it’s also acceptable to not respond to the question, since it is such a common phrase that can mean not much more than a simple greeting. This is especially true with customers, who may not always respond to the greeting that a cashier uses with every single customer:
然而,正如我之前所提到的,不回答这个问题也是可以接受的,因为这是一个非常常见的短语,它的意思不超过一个简单的问候。对于客户来说尤其如此,他们可能不会总是对收银员对每个客户的问候作出回应:

Cashier: Hi, how are you?(A minute later)
收银员:嗨,你好吗?(一分钟后)

Cashier: Your total is $22.54.
收银员:总共22.54美元。

Customer: (Gives the cashier his card) Here you go.
顾客:(把他的卡给收银员)给你。

In this conversation, the cashier’s question goes unresponded, and the interaction simply continues as normal. Let’s move onto the next conversation:
在这个对话中,收银员的问题没有回应,互动只是照常继续。让我们进入下一个对话:

Friend A: Hey man, what’s up?
朋友A:嘿,伙计,怎么了?

Friend B: Not much. How are you doing?
朋友B:不多。你好吗?

Friend A: I’m doing good. Drinks tonight?
朋友A:我做得很好。今晚喝点什么?

Friend B: Maybe. I just have to get up early for work tomorrow.
朋友B:也许吧。我明天得早起去上班。

Friend A: Oh, right. How’s your new job going?
朋友A:哦,对。你的新工作怎么样?

Friend B: It’s alright. I just have to get used to this new schedule.
朋友B:没关系。我只是要习惯这个新的时间表。

It’s important to talk about the phrase What’s up? and how it’s different from How are you?. First of all, it’s much more informal and often used by young people. Second of all, it means something different and must be responded to accordingly. While How are you? and similar phrases ask about a person’s state of being, What’s up? asks about what the person is doing or about what is happening in general. You can respond to the question by saying what you’re currently doing (e.g., I’m working, just studying, etc.), but the most common response to just say Not much. This phrase is so common, in fact, that it has its own texting abbreviation: nm. In response, friend B doesn’t simply ask How are you? but How are you doing?. Once again, these two mean the same thing, but friend A’s response conforms to the present progressive tense (I’m doing good). Although good is technically grammatically incorrect, since the adjective is not a proper modifier for to do, it still sounds natural. In the fifth line, friend A asks a much more specific question about friend B: How’s your new job going? We have now moved past the realm of simple greetings, and the two people are now having a more involved conversation with each other. You may have noticed up until now that most of these responses to How are you? tend to be positive (I’m fine, I’m good, I’m well, etc.) However, though this is most customary, you certainly don’t have to respond this way. Some people are more honest than others and might immediately say how they are truly feeling, rather than conforming to the standard formula of greetings. For example:
重要的是什么?和你有什么不同?。首先,它更为非正式,而且经常被年轻人使用。第二,它意味着不同的东西,必须作出相应的反应。你呢?类似的短语问一个人的生存状态,怎么了?询问对方正在做什么或发生了什么。你可以通过说出你目前在做什么来回答这个问题(例如,我在工作,只是在学习等),但是最常见的回答是不要说太多。事实上,这个短语非常常见,以至于它有自己的短信缩写:nm。作为回应,朋友B不会简单地问你怎么样?你还好吗?。再一次,这两个意思是一样的,但是朋友A的反应符合现在进行时(我做得很好)。虽然good在语法上是不正确的,但由于形容词不是todo的适当修饰语,它听起来还是很自然的。在第五行,朋友A问了一个关于朋友B的更具体的问题:你的新工作进展如何?我们现在已经超越了简单问候的范畴,两人现在正在进行更深入的对话。到目前为止,你可能已经注意到这些对你怎么样的回答中的大多数?倾向于积极(我很好,我很好,我很好,等等),然而,尽管这是最常见的,你当然不必这样回答。有些人比其他人更诚实,可能会立即说出他们的真实感受,而不是遵从标准的问候语。例如:

A: How are you?
A: 你好吗?

B: Um, not so good.
B: 嗯,不太好。

A: Why, what’s wrong?
A: 怎么了?

On the other hand, the formula of How are you? followed by a positive, although ingenuine, response is so common that in order to understand one’s true current state, you’ll have to dig a bit deeper. Take a look a this example:
另一方面,你怎么样?接下来是一个积极的,虽然很巧妙的反应,是如此的普遍,为了了解一个人的真实现状,你必须深入一点。看看这个例子:

A: How are you?
A: 你好吗?

B: Fine, you?
B: 好吧,你?

A: I’m fine… You look a little upset. Is everything okay?
A: 我很好…你看起来有点不安。一切都好吗?

B: Well, not really…
B: 嗯,不是真的…

At first, person B responds to person A’s question in a conventional way by saying Fine (these one-word answers are just as appropriate as saying I’m fine, etc.). However, person A can clearly tell that something is wrong and asks person B a much more genuine question: Is everything okay? This question, functioning much differently from the common greeting of How are you?, elicits a much more honest response from person B, who confesses, “Well, not really…” Hopefully, this can show you how two questions, although they mean similar things semantically, function very differently and thus should be used differently depending on what you want from a conversation.
一开始,B用一种传统的方式回答A的问题,说“好”(这一个词的回答和说“我很好”一样恰当,等等)。然而,人A可以清楚地看出问题出在哪里,并问B一个更真实的问题:一切都好吗?这个问题的功能与一般的问候语“你好吗”有很大不同?,得到了B个人更诚实的回答,他承认,“嗯,不是真的……”希望这能告诉你两个问题,虽然它们在语义上是相似的,但功能非常不同,因此应该根据你想从对话中得到什么来使用不同的问题。