How to Say ‘Why so formal?’ in Traditional Chinese
幹嘛這麼客氣？
gàn ma zhè me kè qì
[gànmá zhème kuh-chee]
💬 Usage Tip: 幹嘛 (gàn má) is a casual "why on earth". 客氣 (kè qì) means being polite or formal, which is the same word as in 不客氣.
Phrase Breakdown
幹嘛
gàn ma
[gànmá]
what are you doing; why
Colloquial 'do what'; can sound impatient or confrontational.
你幹嘛不理我？
Why are you ignoring me?
這麼客氣？
zhè me kè qì
so polite?
這麼 (zhème) means "so", and 客氣 (kèqì) means "polite" or "formal". The whole question is a friendly way to say "You shouldn't have!"
不用這麼客氣。
No need to be so polite.
Words in this phrase
這麼
zhè me
[zhème]
so; such
To this degree; intensifies the following word.
你這麼忙還來看我。
You're so busy, yet you came to see me.
客氣
kè qì
[kuh-chee]
polite; ceremonious
Often used in phrases about being overly formal or overly modest.
大家都是同行，別這麼客氣。
We are all in the same field, so don't be so formal.
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