How to Say ‘My surname is Smith.’ in Simplified Chinese
免贵姓史。
miǎn guì xìng shǐ
[miǎn gway xìng shǐ]
💬 Usage Tip: 免贵 (miǎn guì) "no need for 'honorable'" is a humble opener, followed by 姓 plus your surname.
🇨🇳 In China: This answers the polite question 您贵姓？ "what is your honorable surname?", which restaurants ask when taking a booking. It sounds courteous and a little old-fashioned; plain 我姓史 is also fine.
Phrase Breakdown
免
miǎn
[miǎn]
spare; dispense with
Means to avoid or omit; in a humble reply it declines the honorific.
免贵姓王。
My humble surname is Wang.
贵
guì
[gway]
honorable; your (polite)
A respectful word used before nouns, especially in formal settings like talking about someone’s company.
我想了解贵公司的发展机会。
I’d like to learn about your company’s development opportunities.
姓
xìng
[xìng]
to be surnamed
Verb used to state one's family name.
我姓李。
My surname is Li.
史
shǐ
[shǐ]
Shi (surname)
A Chinese family name; also means history.
史先生来了。
Mr. Shi has arrived.
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