Chinese word

招待

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhāo dài

Meaning

  • verbinvite

Example

小王昨天招待了我们吃饭。xiǎo wáng zuó tiān zhāo dài le wǒ men chī fàn

Xiaowang invited us for dinner yesterday.

Illustration for 招待 (invite)

More examples

公司今晚招待了合作伙伴。gōng sī jīn wǎn zhāo dài le hé zuò huǒ bàn

The company entertained its business partners tonight.

Core concept

An open door followed by a prepared table: someone is invited in and looked after as a guest.

Common phrases

  • 招待客人zhāo dài kè rén

    entertain guests

  • 招待客户zhāo dài kè hù

    entertain clients

  • 招待合作伙伴zhāo dài hé zuò huǒ bàn

    entertain business partners

Similar words

邀请yāo qǐng: Ask someone to come somewhere or take part in a gathering.
请客qǐng kè: Provide a meal for someone as a treat and pay for it.
接待jiē dài: Welcome visitors or guests and attend to their needs with proper courtesy.

Definition in Chinese

邀请某人到自己所在的地方，并在对方到来时负责安排饮食或款待。yāo qǐng mǒu rén dào zì jǐ suǒ zài de dì fāng bìng zài duì fāng dào lái shí fù zé ān pái yǐn shí huò kuǎn dài

Word origin

招 (zhāo, "call or invite") points to bringing someone over, while 待 (dài, "receive or treat") adds the idea of caring for that person during the visit.

Usage tips

  • For an everyday meal, this verb often signals that the speaker is taking care of the arrangements; whether that also includes paying depends on the context rather than on the verb alone.

Other meanings

  • entertainverb
  • hostverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word