{"id":181291,"date":"2011-11-30T23:57:22","date_gmt":"2011-12-01T04:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/excuse-me-in-chinese\/"},"modified":"2025-01-24T00:43:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T05:43:13","slug":"excuse-me-in-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/excuse-me-in-chinese\/","title":{"rendered":"“Excuse Me” in Chinese: 9 Phrases to Get You Through the Crowds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Crowds are a fact of life in China\u2014this is important to know if you hope to do any traveling there<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So what do you say if you’re in a hurry and have to get past people without silently bumping into and running past them?<\/p>\n

Check out nine authentic ways to say “excuse me” in Chinese.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]
\n<\/p>\n

1. \u501f\u8fc7 (ji\u00e8 gu\u00f2)<\/em> \u2014 Excuse me<\/h2>\n

\u501f is “borrow” and \u8fc7 is “pass,” so literally this phrase means something like “borrow (your) road.”<\/p>\n

It’s used in a similar manner as “please let me through!” in English, so if you’re really in a hurry, you can repeat this as you go\u2014like a person in this story<\/a> about crowded public transportation:<\/p>\n

\u6709\u4f4d\u4e58\u5ba2\u4e0d\u65ad\u558a\u7740\u8bf4\u201c\u501f\u8fc7\u501f\u8fc7<\/strong>\u201d\uff0c\u4f46\u76f4\u5230\u8f66\u95e8\u5373\u5c06\u5173\u95ed\u65f6\uff0c\u624d\u6ee1\u5934\u5927\u6c57\u5730\u6324\u4e0b\u4e86\u8f66\u3002
\n(y\u01d2u w\u00e8i ch\u00e9ng k\u00e8 b\u00f9 du\u00e0n h\u01cen zhe \u201cji\u00e8 gu\u00f2 ji\u00e8 gu\u00f2<\/strong>\u201d, d\u00e0n zh\u00ed d\u00e0o ch\u0113 m\u00e9n j\u00ed ji\u0101ng gu\u0101n b\u00ec sh\u00ed, c\u00e1i m\u01cen t\u00f3u d\u00e0 h\u00e0n de j\u01d0 xi\u00e0 le ch\u0113.)
\n<\/em>A passenger was continuously yelling “excuse me, excuse me,” but it was only when the car doors were about to close that he\u2014face full of sweat\u2014was able to get out of the car.<\/p>\n

2. \u8ba9\u4e00\u8ba9 (r\u00e0ng y\u00ed r\u00e0ng)<\/em> \u2014 Give way<\/h2>\n

\u8ba9 means “to give way” or “to allow.” This expression is a polite way of asking someone to “allow” you to pass.<\/p>\n

You can use it by itself or in conjunction with other words. These all translate to essentially the same thing in English:<\/p>\n

\u9ebb\u70e6\u60a8\u8ba9\u4e00\u8ba9<\/strong><\/strong>\u3002
\n(m\u00e1 fan n\u00edn r\u00e0ng y\u00ed r\u00e0ng<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>Excuse me, please let me by.<\/p>\n

\u8bf7\u8ba9\u4e00\u8ba9<\/strong><\/strong>\u3002
\n(q\u01d0ng\u00a0r\u00e0ng y\u00ed r\u00e0ng.<\/strong>)
\n<\/em>Please give way.<\/p>\n

\u52b3\u9a7e\u60a8\u8ba9\u4e00\u8ba9<\/strong><\/strong>\u3002
\n(l\u00e1o ji\u00e0 n\u00edn r\u00e0ng y\u00ed r\u00e0ng<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>Excuse me, please give way.<\/p>\n

Throw in a Chinese honorific<\/a> to make it extra polite!<\/p>\n

3. \u8ba9\u4e00\u4e0b (r\u00e0ng y<\/em>\u00ed<\/em>\u00a0xi\u00e0)<\/em> \u2014 Make way<\/h2>\n

This one is similar to the previous phrase. Here, you’re basically saying the same thing and asking someone to move a bit.<\/p>\n

Here’s a sentence from this article<\/a> as a real-world example:<\/p>\n

\u4ed6\u9ad8\u5927\u7684\u8eab\u8eaf\uff0c\u906e\u6321\u4e86\u8eab\u540e\u89c2\u4f17\u7684\u89c6\u7ebf\uff0c\u6709\u4eba\u793a\u610f\u4ed6\u8ba9\u4e00\u4e0b<\/strong><\/strong>\u3002
\n(t\u0101 g\u0101o d\u00e0 de sh\u0113n q\u016b, zh\u0113 d\u01ceng le sh\u0113n h\u00f2u gu\u0101n zh\u00f2ng de sh\u00ec xi\u00e0n, y\u01d2u r\u00e9n sh\u00ec y\u00ec t\u0101 r\u00e0ng y\u00ed xi\u00e0<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>His big, tall frame blocked the line of sight of the audience behind him, and someone signaled for him to move out of the way.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u52b3\u9a7e (l\u00e1o ji\u00e0)<\/em> \u2014 Excuse me<\/h2>\n

This is perhaps the most polite way of saying “excuse me,” as it implies something like “may I trouble you?”<\/p>\n

It’s a very flexible term that can be used in many situations. Take this example from an article about the Peking Opera<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u5750\u5728\u8d75\u71d5\u4fa0\u91cc\u9762\uff0c\u5979\u8981\u51fa\u53bb\uff0c\u4e8e\u662f\u8bf4\u4e86\u58f0\u201c\u52b3\u9a7e<\/strong>\u201d\uff0c\u8bf7\u5979\u8ba9\u4e00\u8ba9\u3002
\n(zu\u00f2 z\u00e0i zh\u00e0o y\u00e0n xi\u00e1 l\u01d0 mi\u00e0n, t\u0101 y\u00e0o ch\u016b q\u00f9, y\u00fa sh\u00ec shu\u014d le sh\u0113ng \u201cl\u00e1o ji\u00e0<\/strong>\u201d, q\u01d0ng t\u0101 r\u00e0ng y\u00ed r\u00e0ng.)
\n<\/em>Sitting on the inside of Zhao Yanxia [a famous Peking opera actress], [she] wanted to go out, so [she] said “excuse me,” asking to let her pass.<\/p>\n

In fact, \u52b3\u9a7e is so polite that you can combine it a not-so-polite option, like \u8fc7\u4e00\u4e0b<\/strong> (<\/em>gu\u00f2 y\u00ed xi\u00e0) <\/em>\u2014 coming through.<\/p>\n

\u8fc7\u4e00\u4e0b is similar to \u8ba9\u4e00\u4e0b, but the subject of the sentence is yourself instead of the person you’re speaking to. It’s like saying you’re going to pass someone, rather than nicely asking if they can let you pass.<\/p>\n

But to be polite, you can say:<\/p>\n

\u52b3\u9a7e<\/strong>\uff0c\u8fc7\u4e00\u4e0b\u3002
\n(l\u00e1o ji\u00e0<\/strong>, gu\u00f2 y\u00ed xi\u00e0.)
\n<\/em>Excuse me, coming through.<\/p>\n

5. \u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d (b\u00f9 h\u01ceo y\u00ec si)<\/em> \u2014 Pardon me<\/h2>\n

\u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d is a very common way to say “excuse me.” It implies a sense of courtesy like the English phrases “pardon me,” “forgive me” or even “sorry to bother you.”<\/p>\n

You can use this phrase to get past people, or to preface a question, especially if you need something from them.<\/p>\n

\u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d<\/strong>\uff0c\u6211\u53ef\u4ee5\u501f\u7528\u4f60\u7684\u7b14\u5417\uff1f
\n(b\u00f9 h\u01ceo y\u00ec si<\/strong>, w\u01d2 k\u011b y\u01d0 ji\u00e8 y\u00f2ng n\u01d0 de b\u01d0 ma?)<\/em>
\nPardon me, could I borrow your pen?<\/p>\n

6. \u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77 (du\u00ec bu q\u01d0)<\/em> \u2014 Sorry<\/h2>\n

While \u4e0d\u597d\u610f\u601d can sometimes mean “sorry,” \u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77 is stronger and consequently used less often.<\/p>\n

In terms of “excuse me,” you’d want to say \u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77 if you accidentally bump into someone. For example:<\/p>\n

\u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77<\/strong>\uff01\u6211\u7684\u9519\u3002
\n(du\u00ec bu q\u01d0<\/strong>! w\u01d2 de cu\u00f2.)<\/em>
\nI’m sorry! My bad.<\/p>\n

7. \u8bf7\u95ee (q\u01d0ng w\u00e8n)<\/em> \u2014 Please (may I) ask<\/h2>\n

This phrase is commonly used to politely ask for someone’s attention or to ask a question. It’s appropriate for situations where you need to address someone respectfully, for example when you’re seeking assistance, inquiring about something, or when approaching a stranger. It’s like saying “excuse me” or “may I ask” in English.<\/p>\n

\u8bf7\u95ee\uff0c\u60a8\u77e5\u9053\u53bb\u56fe\u4e66\u9986\u7684\u8def\u5417\uff1f
\n(q\u01d0ng w\u00e8n<\/strong>, n\u00edn zh\u012b d\u00e0o q\u00f9 t\u00fa sh\u016b gu\u01cen de l\u00f9 ma?)<\/em>
\nExcuse me, do you know the way to the library?<\/p>\n

8. \u62b1\u6b49 (b\u00e0o qi\u00e0n)<\/em> \u2014 Sorry (apologies)<\/h2>\n

This phrase means “sorry”<\/a> or “apologies” in English and is generally used to express regret or to apologize for a mistake. It’s a good phrase for situations where you need to acknowledge your fault or show your regret, for example when accidentally bumping into someone, or when you’re unable to fulfill someone’s request.<\/p>\n

\u62b1\u6b49\uff0c\u6211\u8fdf\u5230\u4e86\u3002
\n(b\u00e0o qi\u00e0n<\/strong>, w\u01d2 ch\u00ed d\u00e0o le.)<\/em>
\nSorry, I’m late.<\/p>\n

9. \u4ec0\u4e48 (sh\u00e9n me)<\/em> \u2014 What (hey)<\/h2>\n

Although \u4ec0\u4e48 (sh\u00e9n me)<\/em> translates to “what” in English, it can also be used as a casual or colloquial way to grab someone’s attention or to politely interrupt a conversation. It’s generally used in informal settings among friends. It can be compared to saying “hey” or “excuse me” in English when trying to get someone’s attention.<\/p>\n

\u4ec0\u4e48\uff0c\u4f60\u8bf4\u4ec0\u4e48\uff1f
\n(sh\u00e9n me<\/strong>, n\u01d0 shu\u014d sh\u00e9n me?)<\/em>
\nHey, what did you say?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As you can see, all these ways of excusing yourself in Chinese have nuanced meanings. If you’re still not sure about when to use which phrase, the FluentU<\/a> program can help through videos that show the words in natural use by native Chinese speakers.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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