How to Say ‘By the way’ in Simplified Chinese
顺便问一下
shùn biàn wèn yī xià
[shùnbiàn wèn ee-shyah]
💬 Usage Tip: 一下 after a verb softens it to "just quickly", which makes the request sound casual and polite. In 一下, 一 is read (yí) because a falling-tone word follows: (yí xià).
🇨🇳 In China: This is a natural way to slip in a second question once the booking itself is done. Asking about deals this way sounds relaxed rather than pushy.
Phrase Breakdown
顺便
shùn biàn
[shùnbiàn]
by the way; in passing
Doing something additionally while doing something else.
我顺便买了点水果。
I bought some fruit on the way.
问
wèn
[wèn]
to ask
Verb meaning to ask a question or inquire.
我可以问你一个问题吗？
Can I ask you a question?
一下
yī xià
[ee-shyah]
a little; briefly
Softens the tone, making a request sound lighter and more polite.
方便让我了解一下贵公司的文化吗？
Would it be convenient to let me learn a little about your company culture?
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