Chinese word

让座

Pronunciation

Pinyinràng zuò

Meaning

  • verbgive up one's seat

Example

我给老人让座了。wǒ gěi lǎo rén ràng zuò le

I gave my seat to an elderly person.

Illustration for 让座 (give up one's seat)

More examples

有的乘客不愿意让座，因此发生了争执。yǒu de chéng kè bú yuàn yì ràng zuò yīn cǐ fā shēng le zhēng zhí

Some passengers were unwilling to give up their seats, so an argument broke out.

Core concept

Making a seat available to a person whose need is greater than one's own.

Common phrases

  • 给老年人让座gěi lǎo nián rén ràng zuò

    give up one's seat to an elderly person

  • 给孕妇让座gěi yùn fù ràng zuò

    give up one's seat to a pregnant woman

  • 主动给人让座zhǔ dòng gěi rén ràng zuò

    voluntarily give up one's seat to someone

Similar words

让给ràng gěi: Transfer a seat or possession to a particular person by giving it up.
让出ràng chū: Give up an occupied place or area to make room for someone else.
让路ràng lù: Move aside or clear the way for people who need to pass.

Definition in Chinese

在公共场所把座位让给比自己更需要的人，表示礼貌或关心他人的行为。zài gōng gòng cháng suǒ bǎ zuò wèi ràng gěi bǐ zì jǐ gèng xū yào de rén biǎo shì lǐ mào huò guān xīn tā rén de xíng wéi

Word origin

让座 (ràngzuò, "give up one's seat") joins 让 (ràng, "yield") with 座 (zuò, "seat"), creating a transparent verb for yielding a seat to someone else.

Usage tips

  • The verb can describe the courteous offer even when the other person declines, so acceptance is not part of the word's meaning.

Opposites

  • 占座位zhàn zuò wèioccupy a seatverb
  • 霸占座位bà zhàn zuò wèitake over a seatverb

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