你说中文说得很好
Nǐ shuō zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo
You speak very good Chinese
How should you response if someone compliments you like above? You will probably say
谢谢 (xièxiè): Thank you
Next time try the following instead 哪里,哪里 (nǎlǐ, nǎlǐ)
哪里 (nǎlǐ): where
It literally translates to “Where? Where?”, and it is a polite way of responding to a compliment. It is also like saying “Where is my Chinese good?”
Using 哪里,哪里 instead of 谢谢 has two advantages. Firstly, people will think that your Chinese is actually really good. And more importantly, humility is valued highly in Chinese culture.
Another polite way to respond to a compliment is 不敢当 (bù gǎndāng)
不 (bù): no; not; do not
敢当 (gǎndāng): dare
It literally translates to “do not dare”, and it is like saying “I wouldn’t dare to accept such a compliment”.
This is a good one. How many times did you have to say 哪里 when you were in China?
ReplyDeleteOnce I learned about it, I was using it all the time :)
ReplyDeleteThis site is great for simple, clear and instant Chinese. I had already learned the first phrase for being humble, but had never heard the second one. I too will now use it when I can.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jonathan for your kind words. Glad you know that you learned something new.
ReplyDelete