客气 (kè qi) — (adjective) polite, courteous, formal in a socially appropriate way; (verb) to be polite; to stand on ceremony (used in 别客气, 不客气)
Definition
客气 is 'polite' with a sense of social distance — being overly polite can signal you shouldn't. 礼貌 is general good manners; 正式 is about a formal style or setting. Used in fixed phrases 别客气 / 不客气 ('you're welcome' / 'don't be so formal').
adjective
politecourteousformal in a socially appropriate way
verb
to be politeto stand on ceremony (used in 别客气, 不客气)
Examples
- 客气。Tā shì yí wèi fēi cháng kè qi de kè rén.He is a very polite guest.
- 客气，。Qǐng bié kè qi, yǒu shén me xū yào jǐn guǎn shuō.Please don't stand on ceremony; if you need anything, just say it.
- ，“”。Tā bāng le wǒ hěn duō máng, wǒ shuō le shēng "bú kè qi".He helped me a lot, and I said 'you're welcome'.
Appears in
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