In between the lines

Author: Compiled by the Editorial Department of "English Learning"
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: Wellington was a British general and politician who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Because Wellington himself wore high-top boots, people named the boots after his name. John Hancock was a politician during the American Revolutionary War, becoming a political leader in the fight against the British. At the Continental Congress in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was discussed, and he served as the president of the meeting. After fierce debate, the Congress passed the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock was the first to pick up a quill pen and sign his name on the declaration. After he finished signing, Hopkins said, "That's a pretty large signature, Johnny." At this point, John Hancock explained, "So Fat George in London can read it without his glasses" (This way, the fat George in London can see my signature without his glasses). Among all the signatures on this declaration, John Hancock's name was the largest, twice the size of the signatures of the declaration's drafter, Jefferson, and the famous statesman Franklin. Since John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence and his signature was prominent, people often use his name to represent the concept of "signing." There are many ways to say goodbye in English, with similar basic meanings, but there are some subtle differences in usage, similar to the Chinese phrases "" (zài jiàn), "" (yī huìr jiàn), and "" (yǐhòu jiàn). The differences in the use of farewell expressions in English are mainly determined by the length of time until the next meeting—that is, some expressions imply that the next meeting will be after a long time, while others suggest that it is likely to meet again in the near future. Below are some introductions to common English farewell expressions.
Goodbye is used in more formal settings. Generally, using goodbye implies that the time of separation might be relatively long, and the possibility of meeting again in the short term is not high. It is often used when sending someone to the train station or when parting after visiting a guest. Other expressions with the same meaning as goodbye include farewell.
Byebye was originally used by adults to tease children. Although it has a childlike quality, it is quite lively. It is now used by many adults, suggesting that the separation is temporary. For example, adults often say it to children when leaving home, when leaving a store after meeting someone, and when hanging up the phone. The difference between byebye and bye in usage is that some adults believe that using bye has the advantage of not being as childish as byebye.
In English, expressions for temporary separations have also introduced words from other languages, making them more diverse. Two common words are: one from French, "Au revoir," and another from German, "Auf Wiedersehen." These two words can be used interchangeably with byebye and bye in practice.
The above mentions a few farewell expressions used in more formal settings. There are also some used in informal settings, which are more colloquial and widely used in daily life. See you is quite flexible in usage, as it can express both long-term and temporary separations, such as when parting with old friends. Therefore, to clearly indicate that the next meeting will not be long, it is usually advisable to add a time adverbial. For example,