How to Say ‘Like family’ in Simplified Chinese
像家里人一样
xiàng jiā lǐ rén yī yàng
[shyahng jyah lee ren ee yahng]
🇨🇳 In China: [像家里人一样] is much warmer than plain transactional language. In China it can be used to express hospitality or trust, but in a reservation context it would sound unusually personal unless the relationship is close.
Phrase Breakdown
像
xiàng
[shyahng]
like; similar to; as if
像 introduces a comparison, showing that someone is treated in a similar way to someone else.
这家餐厅对熟客像家里人一样。
This restaurant treats regular customers like family.
家里人
jiā lǐ rén
family members; people in the family
Refers to people in one's household or family.
他们对我像家里人。
They treat me like family.
Words in this phrase
家
jiā
[jyah]
family; home
家 refers to home or family, giving a warm and personal feeling in this phrase.
服务员说，常来的客人都像家里人一样。
The server said that customers who come often are all treated like family.
里
lǐ
[lee]
inside; within
里 literally means inside, and in this phrase it is part of the word for family members.
这里的气氛很亲切，让人觉得像家里人一样。
The atmosphere here is very warm and makes people feel like family.
人
rén
[ren]
person; people
人 means person or people, and here it helps express the idea of family members.
老板常说，老客人就像家里人一样。
The owner often says that longtime customers are just like family.
一样
yī yàng
[ee yahng]
the same; alike
一样 completes the comparison and means in the same way or alike.
他们照顾客人，真的像家里人一样。
They take care of customers truly as if they were family.
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