Chinese does not run Japanese-style keigo stacks, but names and titles still carry weight. Calling a new manager by a casual given name can land colder than a small grammar mistake: Chinese tones and politeness.
What should you say to strangers and staff?
Use 您 with shop staff, drivers, clerks, and older strangers until invited into 你. Pair family name plus title when you know it: 王老师, 李总, 张经理. Teachers and doctors almost always take title forms. At Exit-Entry and bank windows, polite address plus clear documents beats slang: Chinese bureaucracy without Chinese and Chinese at the clinic.
Office life leans on titles even in English-friendly firms: Chinese for work. English first-name culture in some expat offices does not automatically transfer to Chinese-speaking colleagues: English in China.
When do given names become okay?
Friends, dating, and some teammate chats move to given names or nicknames after both sides signal it: Making friends, Dating in China, and Social life. If unsure, keep the title for one more meeting. Learn to hear your own Chinese name as people will use it: Learn Chinese in China. Accent colour does not cancel title habits: Chinese accents.
Common misconceptions
Assuming Mandarin has no politeness layer fails. 您 and titles do real social work.
Assuming WeChat stickers make first-name address safe with landlords also fails. Official and service settings stay formal longer.
Summary
Default to 您 and surname-plus-title with new people, then relax only when invited. Formal address in China is a relationship dial, not optional decoration.
Sources
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