English Translation
What’s up?
I’m curious as to the background and history behind this phrase.
@ericaw
A more literal translation is:
Is everything okay as usual?
It’s the same mindset as the following proverb:
No news is good news. = 便りのないのは良い便り (pron. たより / よい)
便り means “a letter”. You haven’t got an update from your friends or family via mail for a while. It indicates that they are as fine as usual.
変わりない? is a casual version of お変わりございませんでしょうか?
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