How to Say ‘Sorry to interrupt’ in Simplified Chinese
打扰一下
dǎ rǎo yī xià
[dǎrǎo ee-shyah]
💬 Usage Tip: Adding 一下 (yí xià) after an action softens it to "just a moment" or "briefly". It also makes requests politer: 看一下 "take a quick look", 等一下 "wait a moment". Note that 一 is read (yí) here because the next syllable has a falling tone.
🇨🇳 In China: This is the polite way to break into a meeting or catch a busy colleague's attention, such as when cutting in with an idea.
Phrase Breakdown
打扰
dǎ rǎo
[dǎrǎo]
to disturb; to bother
Verb meaning to interrupt or take up someone's time.
他在工作，别打扰他。
He's working, don't bother him.
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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