8 ways to say "Excuse Me" in Chinese
In English, “Excuse Me” is often used when you get someone's attention in a polite way, interrupt someone, walk past someone, or tell someone you are leaving, etc. But how to say that phrase in Mandarin Chinese? Here you can learn the most practical words and phrases about “Excuse Me” that Chinese people often speak.
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Interpretation
1. “请问(qǐng wèn)” is commonly used when you want to ask a question to a stranger in polite. You can add “不好意思(bù hǎo yì si), 麻烦一下(má fan yí xià) or “你(ní hǎo)” before “请问(qǐng wèn)”, that sounds more polite.
Examples
2. Perhaps you want to apologize when you need to interrupt someone to ask for a favor, or excuse yourself from a conversation, in this situation, you should say “不好意思(bù hǎo yì si)”.
Examples
3. If you have to push past someone in a crowded bus or elevator, you should say ”借过(jiè guò)”, “借过一下(jiè guò yí xià)”, or ”请让一下(qǐng ràng yí xià)“. If you are really in a hurry to run past someone, you can say “借过借过(jiè guò, jiè guò)”.
4. When you have to excuse yourself from a meeting or a meal for a moment, you can politely say “不好意思(bù hǎo yì si)”.
Examples
5. Sometimes, maybe you do something wrong for carelessness, such as bump into someone or step on someone's foot, you should say “不好意思(bù hǎo yì si)”, “对不起(duì bu qǐ)”, or ”抱歉(bào qiàn)”.
6. It is polite to say “不好意思(bù hǎo yì si)” when you feel embarrassed about burping, sneezing loudly, or making a rude noise.
7. When you didn't hear clearly other's words and want he/she to repeat, you can say “什 么(shén me)”, ”请再说一遍(qǐng zài shuō yí biàn)”.
Examples
8. You can use “拜托(bài tuō)” or “喂(wèi)” when someone is scolding you or reprimanding you for something, that means “Don't be so harsh!” or “Please be more lenient with me.”
Example 1
Example 2
You can use ”得了吧(dé le ba)”, “算了吧(suàn le ba)”,”行了吧(xíng le ba)” when someone is bothering you, that means “Please”, “Come on”, or “Give me a break”.
Example
You can say ”得了吧(dé le ba)” when someone said something that sounds unbelievable or untrue.
Example
Vocabulary
Expansion
“一下(yí xià)”, literally means “give something a try”, it is a casual way to wish someone to take a little time to do something, or suggest someone doing something.
“一下(yí xià)” is commonly used after a verb, such as: