63 expressing apologies, regrets, sympathy, and bad news
63.1 Apologies and regrets
Cultures differ in the kinds of things that people are expected to apologize for. This chapter
presents the types of situations for which an apology is expected and provides expressions of
apology that can be used in these situations.
Note that in Chinese culture, you are not expected to apologize for or otherwise acknowledge
bodily functions such as coughs, sneezes, belches, flatulence, etc. In response to someone’s
sneeze, you can use the following expression:百岁。/百歲。
Bǎi suì.
(May you live to be) 100 years old.
If someone sneezes a second time, you can say:千岁。/千歲。
Qiān suì.
(May you live to be) 1000 years old.63.1.1 apologizing for showing disrespect: 对不起/對不起 duìbuqH
对不起/對不起 duìbuqǐ is the appropriate apology for actions that show disrespect toward
another, including:- Physical actions: bumping into someone, stepping on someone’s foot, spilling something
on someone, etc. - Inappropriate behavior: interrupting someone, ending a conversation, etc.
- Imperfect performance: work done poorly, language spoken poorly, comprehension
difficulty, etc.
对不起。我中文说得不好。
對不起。我中文說得不好。
Duìbuqǐ. Wǒ Zhōngwen shuō de bù hǎo.
Excuse me. I speak Chinese poorly.
对不起。我不懂。
對不起。我不懂。
Duìbuqǐ. Wǒ bù dǒng.
I’m sorry. I don’t understand.
对不起。我耽误了你。
對不起。我耽誤了你。
Duìbuqǐ. Wǒ dānwu le nǐ.
Excuse me. I’ve caused you to be delayed.