articles
China Elevator Stories
“Did You Miss Me?”
I get asked this question often in China.
14/12/2013
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
If I miss my fiancé, I’ll often text him, telling him directly that I miss him. He, on the other hand, usually doesn’t tell me directly that he misses me. More often than not, he’ll ask me instead: “Did you miss me (想我了吗)?”
This is a very common question for Chinese people to ask. I thought it was strange that someone would ask me if I had missed them without telling me that they had missed me in return, which is what we’d do in Austria.
But, as my fiancé explained at the beginning of our relationship, asking someone if they missed you is actually the equivalent of telling them you missed them. It’s just a bit more indirect.
If he asks me this question now, I know he’s implying that he missed me. If I reply, “I did, how about you?” he’ll usually answer, “Of course I did, or why else would I be asking you this question?”
Have you been asked this question before?