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不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) — (phrase) sorry, excuse me (used to apologize for a minor fault or to politely interrupt); (phrase) to feel embarrassed or shy

Definition

A casual, all-purpose 'sorry / excuse me' for small faults or polite interruptions — softer and less formal than 对不起. It also means 'to feel embarrassed', as in 我不好意思问他.

phrase
sorryexcuse me (used to apologize for a minor fault or to politely interrupt)to feel embarrassed or shy

Examples

  • 不好意思，？
    bù hǎo yì si, Qǐng wèn xiàn zài jǐ diǎn?
    Excuse me, could you tell me what time it is?
  • 不好意思。
    Tā yǒu diǎn bù hǎo yì si.
    He feels a little embarrassed.
  • 不好意思。
    Wǒ bù hǎo yì si wèn tā míng zì.
    I'm too embarrassed to ask his name.
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2HSK 2.0 Level 51000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsGreetings & PolitenessEmotions & Feelings2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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