How to say "How have you been?" in Chinese

最近 (zuìjìn) means 'recently' and 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng) means 'how' or 'how about'. Together they form a standard question asking about someone's recent state.

This is a casual, friendly greeting used with people you know, not strangers. It's a way to show care and start a conversation. English speakers might expect a literal answer, but in Chinese, a brief response like '还不错' (not bad) is typical, and you can ask back.