Chinese phrase
恕我直言 shù wǒ zhí yán
Meaning
If I may be frank
When to use it
A polite way to introduce a frank opinion. It softens a direct comment, especially in formal or professional conversation.
Example dialogue
恕我直言，项目工期估计太乐观，需要更多缓冲时间。 shù wǒ zhí yán xiàng mù gōng qī gū jì tài lè guān xū yào gèng duō huǎn chōng shí jiān
If I may be frank, the project timeline estimate is too optimistic. We need more buffer time.
谢谢提醒，我重排进度表。 xiè xiè tí xǐng wǒ zhòng pái jìn dù biǎo
Thanks for pointing that out. I will revise the schedule.