Chinese word

抱歉

Pronunciation

Pinyinbào qiàn

Meaning

  • adjectivesorry

Example

抱歉，打扰你了。bào qiàn dá rǎo nǐ le

Sorry for bothering you.

Illustration for 抱歉 (sorry)

More examples

我很抱歉，没能参加会议。wǒ hěn bào qiàn méi néng cān jiā huì yì

I'm very sorry I couldn't attend the meeting.

Core concept

A polite signal that the speaker recognizes a burden or disappointment caused to someone else.

Common phrases

  • 很抱歉hěn bào qiàn

    very sorry

  • 感到抱歉gǎn dào bào qiàn

    feel sorry

  • 深感抱歉shēn gǎn bào qiàn

    deeply sorry

Similar words

对不起duì bù qǐ: Gives a direct, basic apology to the person affected.
不好意思bù hǎo yì si: Expresses a light apology for a small inconvenience or an awkward moment.

Definition in Chinese

用于向对方表示歉意或遗憾的形容词，语气较为礼貌且带有客气色彩，既可用于口语也常见于书面语。yòng yú xiàng duì fāng biǎo shì qiàn yì huò yí hàn de xíng róng cí yǔ qì jiào wéi lǐ mào qiě dài yǒu kè qì sè cǎi jì kě yòng yú kóu yǔ yě cháng jiàn yú shū miàn yǔ

Word origin

抱 (bào, "hold") + 歉 (qiàn, "regret") combines the idea of holding a feeling with the word for regret, giving the compound its apologetic sense.

Usage tips

  • In service encounters and formal messages, it can introduce a delay or inconvenience without assigning blame, which makes it useful beyond personal apologies.

Other meanings

  • pardon meinterjection

Word lists with this word