Explanation of "你叫什么名字?" in Chinese:

"你叫什么名字?" is a straightforward question used to ask someone's name, equivalent to "What is your name?" in English. Let’s break it down:

你 (Nǐ)

Meaning "you" (second-person singular/plural, informal), used to address the person being asked.

叫 (Jiào)

Literally "to be called" or "to be named," forming the core structure for inquiring about a name in Chinese.

什么 (Shén me)

Meaning "what," used here to ask for specific information (the name).

名字 (Míng zi)

Meaning "name," combining 名 (míng, name) with the suffix 子 (zi) to form a colloquial term.

Tone and usage:

Neutral and direct, suitable for both casual and formal contexts. In formal situations, you may use a more polite variant: 请问，你叫什么名字？ ("May I ask, what is your name?") with 请问 (qǐng wèn, may I ask) added for politeness. When speaking to elders or superiors, it’s common to use honorifics like 您 (nín, polite "you") instead of 你 (nǐ): 您叫什么名字？ ("What is your name?," politely).

Example:

Casual: 嗨，你叫什么名字？我叫安娜。 ("Hi, what’s your name? I’m Anna.")

Formal: 您好，请问您叫什么名字？ ("Hello, may I ask what your name is?")