How to Say ‘Excuse me, may I ask you something?’ in Simplified Chinese
不好意思，请问一下。
bù hǎo yì sī qǐng wèn yī xià
[bù hǎoyìsi cheeng wèn ee shyah]
🇨🇳 In China: This is the standard polite way to stop a passerby in China, and people respond well to it. Jumping straight into your question without it can come across as abrupt.
Phrase Breakdown
不好意思，
bù hǎo yì sī
excuse me,
A polite way to get attention or apologize. 不 (bù) 好 (hǎo) 意 (yì) 思 (si). 思 is often light.
不好意思，我迟到了。
Sorry, I'm late.
Words in this phrase
不好意思
bù hǎo yì sī
[bù hǎoyìsi]
sorry/excuse me
Used to apologize for minor inconveniences.
不好意思，我来晚了。
Sorry, I am late.
请问一下。
qǐng wèn yī xià
may I ask something.
请问 (qǐngwèn) 'may I ask', 一下 (yíxià) softens the request. 一 becomes 2nd tone before 4th tone 下.
请问一下，厕所在哪儿？
Excuse me, where is the restroom?
Words in this phrase
请
qǐng
[cheeng]
please
A polite word used when asking someone to do something.
请出示护照。
Please show your passport.
问
wèn
[wèn]
to ask
Used when making an inquiry.
我可以问一个问题吗？
Can I ask a question?
一下
yī xià
[ee shyah]
a bit; briefly
Softens the verb to sound more polite and natural.
我帮您看一下有没有位子。
I’ll check for you whether there are seats available.
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