Chinese word

客套话

Pronunciation

Pinyinkè tào huà

Meaning

  • nounpolite remarks

Example

客套话听起来很虚假。kè tào huà tīng qǐ lái hěn xū jiǎ

Polite remarks sound very fake.

Illustration for 客套话 (polite remarks)

More examples

他跟客人见面只说客套话，不谈私事。tā gēn kè rén jiàn miàn zhǐ shuō kè tào huà bù tán sī shì

He only makes polite remarks when he meets guests and does not discuss personal matters.

Core concept

Conventional speech that honors the social situation more than it reports the speaker's private feelings.

Common phrases

  • 讲客套话jiǎng kè tào huà

    make polite remarks

  • 用客套话打招呼yòng kè tào huà dǎ zhāo hū

    greet with polite remarks

  • 一句客套话yí jù kè tào huà

    a polite remark

Similar words

客气话kè qì huà: Formal remarks showing politeness and consideration toward another person.
套话tào huà: A routine phrase that sounds familiar and conveys little specific meaning.
寒暄hán xuān: Short social exchanges involving greetings or simple questions about recent life.
礼貌用语lǐ mào yòng yǔ: Courteous language used in keeping with accepted rules of politeness.

Definition in Chinese

指交际中按惯例说出的套话、寒暄或恭维话，用来表示礼貌或维持人际关系，但不一定是真心的话。zhǐ jiāo jì zhōng àn guàn lì shuō chū de tào huà hán xuān huò gōng wéi huà yòng lái biǎo shì lǐ mào huò wéi chí rén jì guān xì dàn bù yí dìng shì zhēn xīn de huà

Word origin

客 (kè, "guest") and 套 (tào, "set pattern") combine with 话 (huà, "speech") to describe words shaped by social convention rather than personal emotion.

Usage tips

  • A polite remark can serve as social cushioning rather than a factual report, so a friendly phrase may be appropriate even when it is not meant as a strong personal claim.

Other meanings

  • flatterynoun
  • formal greetingnoun

Opposites

  • 真心话zhēn xīn huàsincere wordsnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word