TongTong
Sign in

谢绝 (xiè jué) — to politely refuse, to decline

Definition

谢绝 (xiè jué) is a formal verb meaning 'to politely decline' — more courteous than 拒绝, and typically used for invitations, gifts, or offers. 推辞 is similar but focuses on declining a role or appointment.

verb
to politely refuseto decline

Examples

  • 谢绝。
    Tā xiè jué le jì zhě de cǎi fǎng.
    He politely refused the reporter's interview request.
  • 谢绝。
    Wǒ xiè jué le péng you sòng lái de lǐ wù.
    I declined the gift my friend brought.
  • 谢绝。
    Gōng sī xiè jué le zhè cì de hé zuò tí yì.
    The company politely refused this collaboration proposal.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

谢xièdecline
绝juérefuse

谢 means decline and 绝 means refuse, so 谢绝 is a polite refusal.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 謝; 谢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánword; speech
Sound part声符shēngfú
射
射shè謝xiè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 謝 pairs 言 (word; speech) with 射, which gives the sound. The simplified 谢 is a written form of this character.

Open 谢 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Greetings & Politeness

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.