The basic structure

When you want to talk about what someone is doing right now, you need to use the present progressive tense, but how do you do that when verbs in Chinese don’t change at all? In Chinese, we have three words that we add to a sentence to indicate that an action is in progress.

1. Subject + 正在 + state/action + (呢)
2. Subject + 在 + state/action + (呢)
3. Subject + 正 + state/action + 呢
4. Subject + state/action + 呢

Note that in the first two structures, including 呢 at the end is optional.

Common expressions

What are you doing?
你正在干/做什么（呢）？
(Nǐ zhèngzài gàn/zuò shénme (ne)?)

你在干/做什么(呢)？
(Nǐ zài gàn/zuò shénme (ne)?)
你正干/做什么呢？

(Nǐ zhèng gàn/zuò shénme ne?)
你干/做什么呢？
(Nǐ gàn/zuò shénme ne?)

e.g.

A: 你正在做什么？(Nǐ zhèngzài zuò shénme?)
What are you doing?

B: 我正在开会。(Wǒ zhèngzài kāihuì.)
I’m in a meeting.

A: 你在干什么呢？(Nǐ zài gànshénme ne?)
What are you doing?

B: 我在洗衣服呢。(Wǒ zài xǐ yīfú ne.)
I’m doing the laundry.

A：你正做什么呢？(Nǐ zhèng zuò shénme ne?)
What are you doing?

B：我正包饺子呢。(Wǒ zhèng bāo jiǎozi ne.)
I’m making dumplings.

A: 你干什么呢？(Nǐ gànshénme ne?)
What are you doing?

B: 我工作呢。(Wǒ gōngzuò ne.)
I’m working.

You can also ask someone more specifically “Are you doing something” by using a specific verb and adding 吗 at the end instead of 呢, like so: Are you …… ?

你在……吗？

e.g.

A：你在吃东西吗？(Nǐ zài chī dōngxi ma?)
Are you eating?

B：是的，我在吃饺子。(Shì de, wǒ zài chī jiǎozi.)
Yes, I’m eating dumplings.

A：你在做运动吗？(Nǐ zài zuò yùndòng ma?)
Are you exercising?

B:  没有，我正在休息呢。(Méiyǒu, wǒ zhèngzài xiūxi ne.)
No, I’m taking a break.

Casual expressions

There are many common Chinese expressions used in everyday life which actually originate from different dialects. You’ll often hear questions like this:

你在干嘛呢？/ 你干嘛呢？/干嘛呢？
(Nǐ zài gànmá ne?)

你在干啥呢？/ 你干啥呢？/ 干啥呢？
(Nǐ zài gànshá ne?)

啥 and 嘛 are both words that mean “what” in some dialects. They’re almost exclusively used in verbal conversations.

e.g.

A: 你在干嘛呢？(Nǐ zài gànmá ne?)
What are you doing?

B：我在洗碗呢。(Wǒ zài xǐ wǎn ne.)
I’m washing the dishes.

A：干啥呢？(Gànshá ne?)
What are you up to?

B：学习呢。(Xuéxí ne.)
Studying。

You can also ask “What are you busy with?”

你在忙什么？
(Nǐ zài máng shénme?)

忙啥呢？   
(Máng shá ne?)

e.g.

A: 你在忙什么？(Nǐ zài máng shénme?)
What are you busy with?

B：我在准备搬家呢。(Wǒ zài zhǔnbèi bānjiā ne.)
I’m getting ready to move.

And just like the other way we looked at earlier, there is also a more casual way to ask with a yes-no question.

……呢？
Are you……?

e.g.

A: 散步呢？(Sànbù ne?)
Are you taking a walk?

B：是啊，散步呢。(Shì a, sànbù ne.)
Yes, I’m walking.

A：看电影呢？(Kàn diànyǐng ne?)
Are you watching a movie?

B：不是，我在玩游戏。(Bùshì, wǒ zài wán yóuxì.)
No, I’m playing a game.

Some Daily Activities

The post Ways To Ask “What Are You Doing?” in Chinese appeared first on .

Simple Apologies

对不起
(duì bù qǐ)
sorry

对不起  literally means “sorry”. It`s a formal and straightforward way to admit you made a mistake and apologize for it.  It`s definitely an essential word to know.

e.g.

对不起，我帮不了你。(Duìbùqǐ, wǒ bāng bù liǎo nǐ.)
Sorry, I can`t help you.

对不起，我迟到了。 (Duìbùqǐ, wǒ chídào le.)
Sorry, I’m late.

不好意思
(bù hǎo yìsi)
Sorry; Excuse me

不好意思 is used as a less serious  way to say “sorry” in Chinese. It’s actually often used in situations where you feel a bit embarrassed.

e.g.

A:我喜欢你！(Wǒ xǐhuān nǐ!)
I like you!

B:不好意思，我有男朋友了。(Bù hǎo yìsi, wǒ yǒu nán péngyǒule.)
Sorry, I have a boyfriend already.

In fact, it can also mean “excuse me”, especially when you are bothering someone or trying to get their attention.

e.g.

不好意思，请让一下。(Bù hǎo yìsi, qǐng ràng yīxià.)
Excuse me, would you mind stepping aside?

抱歉
(bàoqiàn)
to feel sorry

When you feel guilty about something, you can use 抱歉.

e.g.

A:你还没来吗？(Nǐ hái méi lái ma?)
Are you not coming yet?

B:抱歉，我今天不能来了。(Bàoqiàn, wǒ jīn tiān bù néng lái le.)
Sorry, I can’t come today.

This expression is used in particular when you feel sorry about something that happened to someone, and you want to express your sympathy.

e.g.

对于你离婚的事，我感到很抱歉。(Duìyú nǐ líhūn de shì, wǒ gǎndào hěn bàoqiàn.)
I`m sorry about your divorce.

Specific Apologies

我不是故意的。
(Wǒ bùshì gùyì de.)
I didn’t mean it.

When you accidentally do something wrong or hurt someone’s feelings, you can use this phrase to explain yourself and say that you didn’t mean any harm.

你别生气。
(Nǐ bié shēngqì.)
Don’t be angry.

You can use this expression when someone is pissed off and you want to calm them down a bit.

是我不对。
(Shì wǒ bùduì.)
My bad.

是我不好。
(Shì wǒ bùhǎo.)
My bad.

是我的问题。
(Shì wǒ de wèntí.)
It’s my problem.

我错了。
(Wǒ cuò le.)
My fault.

These phrases are used to apologize as well as admit it’s your fault. For the first three, you can also add 这 or 都 in the beginning to say “This is my fault” or “It’s all my fault”.

e.g.

嘲笑你，这是我不对。 (Cháoxiào nǐ, zhè shì wǒ bùduì.)
I didn’t mean to make fun of you, it’s my bad., this is my bad.

这次比赛输了，都是我的问题。(Zhè cì bǐsài shūle, dōu shì wǒ de wèntí.)
We lost the competition. It’s all my fault.

下次不会这样了。(Xià cì bù huì zhèyàngle.)
It won’t happen again!

我不会再这样了。(Wǒ bù huì zài zhèyàngle.)
I won’t do it again.

When you try to apologize, you can also promise to do better in the future with these two expressions.

Accepting an apology

Being able to graciously accept an apology is just as important as being able to say you’re sorry when you do something wrong. Now that we’ve learned how to apologize in Chinese, let’s take a look at how to respond when someone says sorry to you.

没关系
(méi guān xì)
It’s okay.

e.g.

A：抱歉，我今天不能来了。(Bàoqiàn, wǒ jīn tiān bù néng lái le.)
Sorry, I can’t come today.

B：没关系。(méi guān xì)
It’s okay.

没事儿
(méi shìr)
It’s nothing.

e.g.

A: 不好意思，我不是故意的。(Bù hǎo yìsi, wǒ bùshì gùyì de.)
Sorry, I didn’t mean it.

B：没事儿。(méi shìr)
It’s nothing.

别放在心上
(Bié fàng zài xīn shàng.)
Never mind.

e.g.

A: 很抱歉，都是我的错。(Hěn bàoqiàn, dōu shì wǒ de cuò.)
I’m sorry, it’s all my fault.

B：别放在心上。(Bié fàng zài xīn shàng.)
Never mind.

小事儿，别担心
(Xiǎo shìr, bié dānxīn.)
It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.

e.g.

A: 对不起，我迟到了。(Duìbùqǐ, wǒ chídào le.)
Sorry, I’m late.

B：小事儿，别担心。(Xiǎo shìr, bié dānxīn.)
It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.

The post Saying Sorry and Accepting Apologies in Chinese appeared first on .

7 ways to ask “what’s wrong?”

Sometimes when you meet a friend, you can immediately see that something is wrong with them. The directly translated phrase “你好吗“ is a bland greeting,  and it doesn’t really show your concern for them. So what do you say when you suspect that your friend might not be doing well?  Here are a few authentic and natural expressions that have a more caring, sincere tone.

(Nǐ zěnme le?)
你怎么了？
What’s the matter?

(Nǐ hái hǎo ma?)
你还好吗？
Are you alright?

(Nǐ méishì ba?)
你没事吧？
Are you alright?

(Chū shénme shìr le?)
出什么事儿了？
Is there something wrong?

(Yù dào máfan le ma?)
遇到麻烦了吗？
Are you in trouble?

(Dàodǐ zěnme huí shì?)
到底怎么回事？
What’s going on?

(Yǒu shén me wèntí, shuō chūlái tīng tīng.)
有什么问题，说出来听听。
Talk to me if there’s a problem.

Show your concern if someone seems unhappy

What do you say when you think your friend is in a bad mood, and you just want to ask them directly why they seem down? You can try using these phrases:

(Xīnqíng bù hǎo ma?)
心情不好吗？
Are you unhappy?

(Nǐ zěnme nàme yánsù?)
你怎么那么严肃?
Why do you look so serious?

(Nǐ zěnme mǎn liǎn bù gāoxìng?)
你怎么满脸不高兴？
Why do you look upset?

(Nǐ zěnme lāzhe gè liǎn?)
你怎么拉着个脸？
Why the long face?

(Nǐ jīntiān kànzhe hǎoxiàng bù tài gāoxìng a.)
你今天看着好像不太高兴啊。
You look a bit down today.

(Nǐ hǎoxiàng bù dà duìjìnr a.)
你好像不大对劲儿啊。　
You don’t seem like yourself today.

Express that you’re worried about someone’s health

What if someone looks unwell? How do you ask them about their health appropriately? Here are a few phrases that you can use.

(Nǐ shēntǐ bú shūfú ma?)
你身体不舒服吗？
Are you unwell?

(Nǐ hǎoxiēle ma?)
你好些了吗？
Are you feeling better?

(Nǐ jīntiān gǎnjué zěnme yàng?)
你今天感觉怎么样？
How are you today?

(Yào bùyào qù yīyuàn?)
要不要去医院？
Do you want to go to the hospital?

(Yào bùyào huíqù xiūxi yīxià?)
要不要回去休息一下？
Do you want to go back and rest for a bit?

(Duō bǎozhòng.)
多保重。
Take good care of yourself.

Offer help

What do you say if you want to offer help? Here are a few good sentences you can use to express your empathy.

(Yǒu shén me xūyào, suíshí gēn wǒ shuō.)
有什么需要，随时跟我说。
Let me know anytime if there is anything you need.

(Yǒu shén me wǒ néng bāng dé shàng máng de?)
有什么我能帮得上忙的？
Is there anything I can do to help?

(Wǒ huì péizhe nǐ de.)
我会陪着你的。
I’m here for you.

The post How to show people you care in Chinese appeared first on .

1.  Refusing an invitation

Sometimes, it’s difficult to guess whether an invitation is real or merely a polite offer. In this case, a simple polite refusal can be used to judge the persons’ true intentions.

改天吧
(gǎi tiān ba)
Maybe another day，

下次吧
(xià cì ba)
Maybe next time，

以后/回头再说
(yǐhòu /huítóu zài shuō)
Let’s talk about it later.

e.g.

A：去我家坐坐吧！(Qù wǒjiā zuòzuò ba!)
Go to my house and have a seat!

B：改天吧。(Gǎitiān ba.)
Maybe another day.

A：你没吃饭吗？我请你吃。(Nǐ méi chīfàn ma? Wǒ qǐng nǐ chī.)
Did you not eat? Let me treat you to dinner.

B：谢谢了，下次吧。(Xièxie le, xià cì ba.)
Thank you, next time.

Of course, if they respond and confirm that their invitation was serious, accepting is the most appropriate way to respond.

2.  Refusing an offer

Chinese people tend to decline gifts or favors multiple times before finally accepting them. This is a polite way to show modesty because it shows that you don’t want to trouble others.

不用了
(búyòng le)
No need.

不必了
(búbì le)
It’s not necessary.

太麻烦你了
(tài máfán nǐ le)
It’s too much of a bother.

别忙了
(biémáng le)
Please don’t bother.

e.g.

A：你用我的车吧。(Nǐ yòng wǒ de chē ba.)
You can use my car.

B：不用了，太麻烦你了。(Bùyòngle, tài máfan nǐ le.)
No, it’s too much trouble for you.

A：我借钱给你吧。(Wǒ jiè qián gěi nǐ ba.)
Let me lend you money.

B：不必了，谢谢。(Bùbìle, xièxie.)                
No, thank you.

This initial refusal before final acceptance also happens often when people offer food or drink, especially when it is offered by someone they don’t know well.  That’s why when Chinese people offer you something to eat or drink, and encourage you to “eat more,” if you really want to say no, you can use the phrases:

我现在不想吃。
(Wǒ xiànzài bù xiǎng chī.)
I don’t feel like eating right now.

谢谢，待会儿吧。
(Xièxie, dāi huìr ba.)
Thank you, maybe later.

3.  Refusing unsolicited suggestions

When a salesperson approaches you with an offer you’re not interested in, you can refuse them directly by saying

不要，谢谢。
(Búyào, xièxie.)
No, thanks.

When talking to someone you know, on the other hand, it’s more common, and polite, to make an excuse or say you’ll get back to them later. For example:

我考虑考虑
(Wǒ kǎolǜ kǎolǜ.)
I’ll think it over.

我想想吧
(Wǒ xiǎngxiǎng ba.)
I’ll think about it.

4.  Refusing a request

If someone is asking you for information or advice and you don’t feel comfortable doing so, you can try to redirect the conversation by switching the topic, putting it off, or dodging the question. You might say:

我不太清楚。
(Wǒ bú tài qīngchǔ.)
I am not really sure.

这样不好吧。
(zhèyàng bùhǎo ba)
This might not work.

可能不太方便。
(kěnéng bútài fāngbiàn)
It might be too inconvenient.

e.g.

A：你告诉我老板的想法，好吗？
(Nǐ gàosù wǒ lǎobǎn de xiǎngfǎ, hǎo ma?) Can you tell me what the boss thinks?

B：可能不太方便。(kěnéng bútài fāngbiàn) It might be too inconvenient.

Bonus phrases!

When someone gives you an unreasonable request or suggestion, and you want to decline directly, you can say:

不可能
(bùkěnéng)
Impossible！

想得美
(xiǎngdeměi)
You wish!

没门儿
(méiménr)
No way!

休想
(xiūxiǎng)
Never, not a chance!

Theses refusals are very straightforward and blunt, be careful about who you say them to.

想得美 is a little sarcastic, and 休想 is very firm and resolute, and it might sound like you’re quite annoyed.

The post Polite (and not-so polite) Ways to Refuse in Chinese appeared first on .

没

Talking about the past with 没

没 (méi) is used when talking about the past. Adverbials related to time, such as yesterday, last month, before, or once long ago, can be used with 没 to indicate when something didn’t happen in the past. Keep in mind that in Chinese you need to add the negation, in this case 没, to the main verb for it to make sense.

e.g.

A：你早上吃东西了吗？ (Nǐ zǎoshang chī dōngxi le ma?)
Have you eaten anything this morning?

B：我没吃呢。(Wǒ méi chī ne.)
No, I haven’t.

A：你昨天去学校了吗？(Nǐ zuótiān qù xuéxiàole ma?)
Did you go to school yesterday?

B：我没去。(Wǒ méi qù.)
No, I didn’t.

Talking about the present with 没有

Since 有 (yŏu) by itself means “have”, 没有 (méiyŏu) means “to not have”. 没有 can be used to say that you have not done something in the past, but it is also used to talk about the present or future to say that you don’t have something according to the context, Such as:

A: 给我100块钱吧！(Gěi wǒ 100 kuài qián ba!)
Give me 100 kuai!

B：我没有钱。(Wǒ méiyǒu qián.)
I don’t have money.

A：明天你有时间和我吃饭吗？(Míngtiān nǐ yǒu shíjiān hé wǒ chīfàn ma?)
Do you have time to eat with me tomorrow?

B：明天我没有时间。(Míngtiān wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.)
I don’t have time tomorrow.

不

Responding to yes-no questions with 不

Yes-No questions are formed by placing the word “吗” at the end of a sentence, For example someone might ask you 你学中文吗? (Do you study Chinese?) If someone asks you a yes-no question，and you want to say “no” in reply, you just need to add 不 to the main verb or adjective.

不是

A: 你是他的女朋友吗？(Nǐ shì tā de nǚ péngyǒu ma?)
Are you his girlfriend?

B：不是。(Búshì.)
No, I’m not.

不要

A：你要吃东西吗？(Nǐ yào chī dōngxi ma?)
Do you want to eat something?

B：不要。(Bú yào.)
No, I don’t want to.

不想

A: 你想睡觉吗？(Nǐ xiǎng shuìjiào ma?)
Do you want to sleep?

B：不想。(Bù xiǎng.)
No, I don’t want to.

不能

A: 你能快一点吗？(Nǐ néng kuài yīdiǎn ma?)
Could you go faster?

B: 不能。(Bù néng.)
No, I can’t.

不会

A: 你会游泳吗？(Nǐ huì yóuyǒng ma?)
Can you swim?

B: 不会。(Bú huì.)
No, I can’t.

不可以

A: 你可以帮我吗？(Nǐ kěyǐ bāng wǒ ma?)
Can you help me?

B: 不可以。(Bù kěyǐ .)
No, I can’t.

Responding to affirmative-negative questions with 不

Similar to yes-no questions, when we expect someone to give a simple direct answer, we often use this affirmative-negative question structure, which looks like this:

Adj. + 不 + Adj.

Verb + 不 + Verb

So if you’d like to just reply “no” to a question like this, it’s very simple, you can just say

不 + Adj. / Verb

For example

A: 你们今天累不累？ (Nǐmen jīntiān lèi bú lèi? )
Are you tired or not today?

B: 不累。(Bú lèi.)
Not tired.

A: 你家离公园远不远？(Nǐ jiā lí gōngyuán yuǎn bù yuǎn?)
Is your home far away from the park or not?

B：不远。(Bù yuǎn)
No, not far.

A: 我这么走，对不对？(Wǒ zhème zǒu, duì búduì?)
I go in this way, right?

B: 不对。(Bú duì)
Not right.

A: 我不学习汉语了，行不行？(Wǒ bù xuéxí hànyǔ le, xíng bùxíng?)
Is it okay if I don’t learn Chinese?

B: 不行. (Bù xíng.)
No, it’s not okay.

A: 我不去上班了，好不好？(Wǒ bú qù shàngbān le, hǎo bù hǎo?)
Is it alright if I don’t go to work?

B: 不好。(Bù hǎo)
No, it’s not alright.

The post Various Ways to Say “No” in Chinese appeared first on .

Just Saying “Thank you”

Just like in English, you can reply to a compliment simply by thanking the person for their kind words. The most direct and simple way is saying 谢谢, thank you.

You can also simply say:

(Zhēn de ma? Xièxie!)
真的吗？谢谢！
Really? Thank you!

(Duōxiè kuājiǎng, wǒ huì jìxù nǔlì de.)
多谢夸奖，我会继续努力的。
Thank you for the praise, I will continue to work hard.

e.g.

A: 你的衣服真好看！(Nǐ de yīfu zhēn hǎokàn!)
Your clothes are so beautiful!

B: 真的吗？谢谢！(Zhēn de ma? Xièxie!)
Really? Thank you!

A: 做得好！(Zuò de hǎo!)
Good job!

B:多谢夸奖，我会继续努力的。(Duōxiè kuājiǎng, wǒ huì jìxù nǔlì de.)
Thank you for the praise, I will continue to work hard.

This kind of response is really common among younger people because it is casual and you don’t have to pretend that it’s not true.

Politely Denying It

As you might already know, modesty is an important part of Chinese culture. If someone pays you a compliment, it’s the Chinese way to be humble. Instead of accepting the compliment, you should refuse it first!

Politely Denying It (Ⅰ)

In a more formal setting, such as at work, you should use more official-sounding phrases:

(Bù gǎndāng.)
不敢当。
I don’t deserve your praise

(Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ, wǒ hái chà de yuǎn.)
哪里哪里，我还差得远。
No no, I’m still really far off.

(Méiyǒu méiyǒu, dōu shì yùnqì.)
没有没有，都是运气。
No no, pure luck.

(Cánkuì cánkuì, hái yǒu jìnbù de kōngjiān.)
惭愧惭愧，还有进步的空间。
Ashamed, there is still space to get better.

(Hái bùgòu hǎo, xūyào jìxù nǔlì.)
还不够好，需要继续努力。
It’s still not good enough. I need to keep working hard on it.

e.g.

A: 你是最好的医生！(Nǐ shì zuì hǎo de yīshēng!)
You are the best doctor!

B: 不敢当。(Bù gǎndāng.)
I don’t deserve your praise

A: 你的汉语太好了！(Nǐ de hànyǔ tài hǎo le!）
Your Chinese is so good!

B: 还不够好，需要继续努力。(Hái bùgòu hǎo, xūyào jìxù nǔlì.)
It’s still not good enough. I need to keep working hard on it.

A: 你的发音比中国人还好！(Nǐ de fǎ yīn bǐ zhōngguó rén hái hǎo!)
Your pronunciation is better than Chinese!

B: 哪里哪里，我还差得远。(Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ, wǒ hái chà de yuǎn.)
No no, I’m still really far off.

Politely Denying It (Ⅱ)

There are also several casual phrases you can use to refuse a compliment, like:

(Nǎ yǒu!)
哪有！
Not at all!

(Hái xíng ba.)
还行吧。
It’s alright.

(Hái chà de yuǎn ne.)
还差得远呢。
I’m still really far off.

(Wǒ méi nàme hǎo.)
我没那么好。
I’m not that good.

(Hāi! Yùnqì hǎo bàle.)
咳！运气好罢了。
I’m just very lucky.

e.g.

A: 大家都说你很厉害！(Dàjiā dōu shuō nǐ hěn lìhài!)
Everyone says you are great!

B: 哪有！(Nǎ yǒu!)
Not at all!

A: 这次你表现得不错啊！(Zhè cì nǐ biǎoxiàn de bùcuò a!)
You performed well this time!

B: 还行吧。(Hái xíng ba.)
It’s alright.

A: 恭喜你又赢了！(Gōngxǐ nǐ yòu yíng le!)
Congratulations on winning again!

B: 咳！运气好罢了。(Hāi! Yùnqì hǎo bàle.)
I’m just very lucky.

Politely Denying It (Ⅲ)

Another way to show modesty when receiving compliments is to say that they’re just flattering you. These kinds of phrases focus mainly on the person giving you the compliment, instead of focusing on you. For example:

(Nǐ guòjiǎng le.)
你过奖了。
You flatter me.

(Nǐ guòyù le.)
你过誉了。
You’re exaggerating.

(Nǐ tài kuāzhāng le.)
你太夸张了。
You’re exaggerating too much

e.g.

A: 你真的太美了！(Nǐ zhēn de tàiměi le!)
You are really so beautiful!

B: 你过奖了。(Nǐ guòjiǎng le.)
You flatter me.

A: 你怎么那么聪明！(Nǐ zěnme nàme cōngmíng!)
Why are you so smart!

B: 你太夸张了。(Nǐ tài kuāzhāng le.)
You’re exaggerating too much.

Returning the Compliment

If you’d like to accept the compliment, but don’t want to focus only on yourself, you can repay their kindness by returning the compliment, just say:

(Nǐ yě bùcuò a!)
你也不错啊！
You are good too!

(Wǒ hái yào xiàng nǐ duō xuéxí.)
我还要向你多学习。
I still need to learn from you more.

e.g.

A: 你穿这身衣服美极了！(Nǐ chuān zhè shēn yīfu měi jíle!)
You look beautiful in this dress!

B: 你也不错啊 ! (Nǐ yě bùcuò a!)
You look good too!

A: 你的演讲精彩极了！(Nǐ de yǎnjiǎng jīngcǎi jíle!)
Your speech is wonderful!

B: 我还要向你多学习。(Wǒ hái yào xiàng nǐ duō xuéxí.)
I still need to learn from you more.

Sharing the Credit

Another way to accept a compliment and still be humble is sharing the credit with others. These slightly more advanced responses are extremely useful in business contexts and truly show your appreciation for those who help you.

多亏了XX。
Thanks to XX.

e.g.

A: 你又是第一名，真优秀！(Nǐ yòu shì dì yī míng, zhēn yōuxiù!)
You take the first place again, so outstanding!

B: 多亏了王老师。(Duō kuī le Wáng lǎoshī)
Thanks to teacher Wang.

这是大家的功劳。
The credit belongs to all of us.

e.g.

A: 恭喜你又赢了，真棒！(Gōngxǐ nǐ yòu yíngle, zhēn bàng!)
Congratulations, you won again. Awesome!

B: 这是大家的功劳。(Zhè shì dàjiā de gōngláo.)
The credit belongs to all of us.

是XX+Verb+得好

是XX教得好。
It’s just because XX taught really well.

e.g.

是老师教得好。(Shì lǎoshī jiāo de hǎo.)
It’s just because teacher taught really well.

是XX配合得好。
It’s just because XX contributed so much.

e.g.

是同事配合得好。(Shì tóngshì pèihé de hǎo.)
It’s just because the coworkers contributed so much.

是XX领导得好。
It’s just that XX lead really well.

e.g.

是经理领导得好。(Shì jīnglǐ lǐngdǎo de hǎo.)
It’s just that the manager leaded really well.

The post Politely Responding to Compliments in Chinese appeared first on .

Basic Compliment Structures

First and foremost, let’s take a look at the most common structures we use when complimenting someone.

Many of these follow the same general pattern: Subject + Adverb + Adjective. The adverb basically takes the place of the verb in this structure, does it sound a bit complicated? Don’t worry, it’s actually quite simple when you see it in practice:

Subject + Adverb + Adjective

……很……！very

(hěn)

……太……！too

(tài)

……真……！really

(zhēn)

……好……！so

(hǎo)

……相当……！quite

(xiāngdāng)

……特别……！specially

(tèbié)

……怎么那么……！Why so……!

(zěnme nàme)

The next two examples follow a slightly different structure:

Be sure to note that these last two put the adjective before the adverb.

Subject + Adjective + Adverb

……极了！extremely

(jí le)

……得不得了！exceedingly

(de bùdéliǎo)

General compliments

Now that we’ve covered the sentence structure for compliments and the different adverbs you can use, let’s look at some words you can use to compliment people on different things

Just like in English, there are many different words in Chinese to express how good something is. These can be really useful in everyday life because they’re so versatile and easily fit into the structures we just learned. Let’s look at some examples and their English equivalents.

e.g.

您真了不起！(Nǐn zhēn liǎobùqǐ!)
You are terrific!

你儿子好棒！(Nǐ érzi hǎo bàng!)
Your son is great!

你穿这身衣服美极了！(Nǐ chuān zhè shēn yīfu měi jíle!)
You look gorgeous in this dress!

你怎么那么有型！(Nǐ zěnme nàme yǒu xíng!)
Why are you so stylish!

Complimenting Someone’s Appearance

If you want to compliment someone’s physical appearance, you probably want to use adjectives that are more descriptive. Let’s go over some Chinese adjectives that you can use to tell someone how beautiful or handsome they look.

e.g.

你的新发型太好看了！(Nǐ de xīn fǎxíng tài hǎokàn le!)
Your new hairstyle is so beautiful!

你好优雅啊！(Nǐ hǎo yōuyǎ a! )
You are so elegant!

你穿这身衣服美极了！(Nǐ chuān zhè shēn yīfu měi jíle!)
You look gorgeous in this dress!

你怎么那么有型！(Nǐ zěnme nàme yǒu xíng!)
Why are you so stylish!

Compliment Someone’s Personality or Behavior

While compliments related to physical appearance are nice to hear, compliments about a person’s personal character or work are equally important. Here are a few words you can use when you want to compliment someone’s personality:

e.g.

你女儿特别乖！(Nǐ nǚ’ér tèbié guāi!)
Your daughter is really well-behaved!

你真靠谱！(Nǐ zhēn kào pǔ!)
You are so reliable!

你的演讲精彩极了！(Nǐ de yǎnjiǎng jīngcǎi jíle!)
Your speech is wonderful!

你的想法很有意思！(Nǐ de xiǎngfǎ hěn yǒuyìsi!)
Your idea is very interesting!

The post 9 Simple Ways to Give Compliments in Chinese appeared first on .

我想……

想is used to express a person’s will or plan, and means “to want” as seen in the in the sentence “ 我想睡觉。”（I want to sleep.）Here we’re going to focus on another usage for 想, using it to express a thought or idea.

The basic structure:

Somebody + 想 + other elements.

e.g.

我想他说的是对的。
(Wǒ xiǎnɡ tā shuōde shì duì de.)
I think what he said is right.

我想他们会来。
(Wǒ xiǎnɡ tāmen huì lái.)
I think they will come.

Pay attention that if you want to say “I don’t think…”, you cannot say “我不想……”. Since “我不想……” means “I don’t want”. Instead, you need to negate the following part, for example:

我想他说的是不对的。
(Wǒ xiǎnɡ tā shuōde shì bú duì de.)
I don’t think what he said is right.

我想他们不会来了。
(Wǒ xiǎnɡ tāmen bú huì lái le.)
I don’t think they will come.

我觉得……

觉得 is a verb that is often used to express personal feelings. And it directly means “to feel”. It is quite similar to 想, in both meaning and usage, but 觉得 has a more personal and subjective feeling.

The basic structure:

Somebody +觉得+other elements.

e.g.

我觉得他没错。
(Wǒ juéde tā méi cuò.)
I don’t think he is wrong.

我觉得明天他可能会迟到。
(Wǒ juéde mínɡtiān tā kěnénɡ huì chídào.)
I think he will be late tomorrow.

我认为……

When expressing an opinion or making a judgement, you can use “认为”.

The basic structure:

Somebody / Something + 认为 + other elements
(Here something can refer to an essay, meeting, organization, etc.)

e.g.

我认为这件事应该再讨论讨论。
(Wǒ rènwéi zhè jiàn shì yīnɡɡāi zài tǎolùn tǎolun.)
I think we should have another discussion on it.

文章认为保护地球，人人有责。
(Wénzhānɡ rènwéi bǎohù dìqiú, rénrén yǒu zé.)
The essay reads that protecting the earth is the responsibility of everyone.

我以为……

When your subjective judgement is contrary to reality, you can use “我以为”. It means “I thought”, but it turns out that what you thought is not true, so it emphasizes that you were wrong about something.

The basic structure:

Somebody + 以为 + other elements

Note that just like “想”, you can’t put 不 or 没 before 以为 to negate it.

e.g.

我以为他不想去。(Wǒ yǐwéi tā bù xiǎnɡ qù.)
I thought he didn’t want to go.   ->   but actually he wants to go.

我们以为他是中国人，但实际上他是韩国人。
(Wǒmen yǐwéi tā shì Zhōnɡɡuó rén，dàn shíjìshànɡ tā shì Hánɡuó rén.)
We thought that he was Chinese, but in fact he was Korean.

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The basic expressions

Just like 谢谢，there are many simple ways to say ‘you’re welcome’ or ‘it’s okay’. That’s alright. / You are welcome.

不用谢 (Bùyòng xiè.)

不用客气 (bùyòng kèqì.)

你太客气了 (Nǐ tài kèqìle.)

e.g.

A: 谢谢你！(Xièxie nǐ!)
Thank you!

B: 不用谢！(Bùyòng xiè!)
You are welcome!

A: 太感谢你了！(Tài gǎnxiè nǐle!)
Thank you so much!

B: 你太客气了！(Nǐ tài kèqìle.)
You are welcome!

The modest expressions

If you’re in a business situation or want to be extra polite, you might want to use a more formal expression, such as:

It was my pleasure.

这是我的荣幸。
(Zhè shì wǒ de róngxìng.)

乐意效劳
(Lèyì xiàoláo.)

e.g.

A:谢谢你的帮助。(Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù.)
Thank you for your help.

B: 这是我的荣幸。(Zhè shì wǒ de róngxìng.)
It’s my honor.

A: 感谢你做的一切。(Gǎnxiè nǐ zuò de yīqiè.)
Thank you for everything.

B: 乐意效劳。(Lèyì xiàoláo.)
It’s my pleasure.

The casual expressions

If you want to emphasize that what you did was not a problem, or no big deal, then you can use these casual expressions

It was nothing. / It’s no big deal.

那没什么。
(Nà méishénme.)

没事
(Méishì.)

小意思
(Xiǎo yìsi.)

举手之劳
(Jǔ shǒu zhī láo.)

e.g.

A: 辛苦了。(Xīnkǔ le!)
I appreciate your hard work.

B: 小意思。(Xiǎo yìsi.)
It’s no big deal.

A: 麻烦你了！(Máfan nǐ le!)
Sorry to bother you.

B: 举手之劳。(Jǔ shǒu zhī láo.)
It’s nothing

Bonus expressions

There are a couple longer phrases that can be used when you really want to reciprocate someone’s kindness. You can use these when someone has been very respectful, and you want to be equally polite.

I’m very much obliged to you, no worries!

咱们谁跟谁呀，别客气！
(Zánmen shéi gēn shéi ya, bié kèqì!)

那是我应该做的。
(Nà shì wǒ yīnggāi zuò de.)

e.g.

A: 真不知道该怎么感谢你。(Zhēn bù zhīdào gāi zěnme gǎnxiè nǐ.)
I really don’t know how to repay you.

B: 咱们谁跟谁呀，别客气！(Zánmen shéi gēn shéi ya, bié kèqì!)
I’m very much obliged to you, no worries!

A: 我得好好谢谢你。(Wǒ děi hǎohǎo xièxie nǐ.)
I really need to thank you well.

B: 那是我应该做的。(Nà shì wǒ yīnggāi zuò de.)
I’m obliged to you.

The post Formal and Informal Ways to Say “You’re Welcome” in Chinese appeared first on .

The most common ways

谢谢 is the phrase that you’ll see the most in daily life because it is simple and quick to say, but it is also basic, so let’s look at some more advanced ways to show appreciation.

If you’d like to say more than a simple thanks, you can use a few different expressions to say thank you to different degrees. For example

Thanks a million.

万分感谢

(wànfēn gǎnxiè)

Thank you very much.

非常感谢

(fēicháng gǎnxiè)

I can’t thank you enough

感激不尽

(gǎnjī bù jìn)

These examples are more formal than 谢谢，but they also show a deeper appreciation.

The More Specific Ways

If you would like to direct your thanks to a specific person or group of people, you can add a noun at the end to add emphasis:

谢谢/感谢+somebody

e.g.

• 谢谢你 (Xièxie nǐ.) Thank you.
• 谢谢你们 (Xièxie nǐmen.) Thank you all.
• 谢谢大家 (Xièxie dàjiā.) Thanks to everyone.
• 感谢我的家人 (Gǎnxiè wǒ de jiārén.) Thanks to my family.

If you would like to thank someone for doing something specific, you can emphasize that action by adding it at the end like so:

谢谢/感谢 + something

e.g.

• 谢谢你的帮助。(Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù.) Thank you for your help.
• 谢谢你的鼓励。(Xièxie nǐ de gǔlì.) Thank you for your encouragement..
• 感谢你的支持。(Gǎnxiè nǐ de zhīchí.) Your support is greatly appreciated.
• 感谢你做的一切。(Gǎnxiè nǐ zuò de yīqiè.) Thank you for everything.

The Informal Ways

Just like in English, there are many different informal ways to thank someone, here are a couple of the simplest:

Thanks

谢了  

(Xièle.)

Many thanks

多谢  

(Duōxiè!)

There are also some more friendly ways to show your appreciation for someone, such as:

You are the best.

你最好了。

(Nǐ zuì hǎole.)

It’s so kind of you.

你真好。

( Nǐ zhēn hǎo)

Finally, here are a couple ways to be polite when someone helps you:

I appreciate your hard work.

辛苦了！

(Xīnkǔ le!)

Sorry to bother you.

麻烦你了！

(Máfan nǐ le!)

Longer Phrases

If you want to show someone your deep appreciation, you can say:

I really need to thank you well.

我得好好谢谢你。

(Wǒ děi hǎohǎo xièxie nǐ.)

I don’t know what to do without you.

没有你我不知道该怎么办。

(Méiyǒu nǐ wǒ bù zhīdào gāi zěnme bàn.)

I owe you one.

我欠你个人情。

(Wǒ qiàn nǐ gè rénqíng.)

I really don’t know how to repay you.

真不知道该怎么感谢你。

( Zhēn bù zhīdào gāi zěnme gǎnxiè nǐ )

Thank you for doing me this big favor.

多亏你帮了我个大忙。

(Duōkuī nǐ bāngle wǒ gè dàmáng.)

consider using some of these longer phrases that are more polite and sentimental.

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