Zao, instead of "zao an" or "zao shang hao", but ...

[heixin]

Hi,

I've learned we can say just "zao" instead of "zao an" or "zao shang hao". Can we "cut" the "xia wu hao/wu an" or "wan shang hao/wan an" in that manner too?

Just wondering ...

[adrianlondon]

It would make sense, as you can do this in English, but I've never heard it done (apart from, as you already know, "zao an" to "zao").

[roddy]

Nope. I think by the afternoon I think you're assumed to be capable of multisyllabic speech.

[adrianlondon]

That's a pretty big assumption.

hi. uh. yeah. no. bye.

[liuzhou]

wot?

[Yong-Zhang]

I've learned we can say just "zao" instead of "zao an" or "zao shang hao". Can we "cut" the "xia wu hao/wu an" or "wan shang hao/wan an" in that manner too?

不可以。

but you can say an(安) instead of all of them.

[L-F-J]

i have never heard it done, and i wouldnt try saying something i have never seen or heard. follow the natives. it only works for zao.

[stanleyyou]

The habitual usage, in my opinion, just applies to ZAO, like you only say "Morning" but seldom "Evening" or "Afternoon" to greet others. Am I right?

[adrianlondon]

like you only say "Morning" but seldom "Evening" or "Afternoon" to greet others

I sometimes use those, and they don't sound weird. However, for informal greetings, "morning, hi, hi" is more often used (by me anyway) than "morning, afternoon, evening".

[muyongshi]

I say afternoon and evening all the time and doesn't sound weird at all to me...