How to Say ‘Excuse me.’ in Simplified Chinese
打扰一下。
dǎ rǎo yī xià
[dah raow ee shyah]
💬 Usage Tip: 一下 after a verb softens it to "just a little", which makes requests sound lighter: 看一下 "take a quick look", 等一下 "wait a moment". Here 一 is read (yí) because the next syllable has a falling tone.
🇨🇳 In China: 打扰 literally means "disturb", so this is the polite way to break into someone's conversation at a booth or event. It's a bit more courteous than shouting 你好 at a stranger.
Phrase Breakdown
打扰
dǎ rǎo
[dah raow]
to disturb; excuse me
Used when politely interrupting someone or getting attention.
打扰一下，请问洗手间在哪儿？
Excuse me, where is the restroom?
一下
yī xià
[ee shyah]
a bit; for a moment
Softens an action, making it sound brief and more polite.
请等一下，我先下车。
Please wait a moment, I'll get out first.
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