客气 kèqi polite
polite; courteous; formal; modest
How to remember 客气: 客 guest + 气 air = polite.
Characters
How it is used
- Adjective meaning "polite/courteous," but its single most common use is the fixed reply 不客气 (bú kèqi) "you're welcome," and 别客气 (bié kèqi) "don't stand on ceremony."
- Can also describe someone being overly formal or restrained, e.g. politely declining a gift: 你太客气了 (nǐ tài kèqi le) "you're being too polite."
- Distinguish from 礼貌 (lǐmào), the neutral general word for "polite manners"; 客气 has a social, interactive flavor tied to specific exchanges.
Example sentences
- 不客气，我很愿意帮助你！ Búkèqi, wǒ hěn yuànyì bāngzhù nǐ!Think nothing of it, I'm happy to help you!