Chinese word

请客

Pronunciation

Pinyinqǐng kè

Meaning

  • verbtreat

Example

下次我请客，你想吃什么？xià cì wǒ qǐng kè nǐ xiǎng chī shén me

I'll treat next time; what do you want to eat?

Illustration for 请客 (treat)

More examples

今天他被人请客，觉得有点不好意思。jīn tiān tā bèi rén qǐng kè jué de yóu diǎn bù hǎo yì si

Today someone treated him to a meal, and he felt a little embarrassed.

Core concept

A host brings people together and covers the cost of their shared meal or activity.

Common phrases

  • 被人请客bèi rén qǐng kè

    be treated to a meal

Similar words

邀请yāo qǐng: Invite people to attend a place, event, or activity.
请qǐng: Make a polite request for someone to come.
招待zhāo dài: Entertain guests and provide friendly care for them.

Definition in Chinese

邀请他人到自己安排的聚会、饭局或活动中，并为其支付费用的行为或表示这种行为的动词。yāo qǐng tā rén dào zì jǐ ān pái de jù huì fàn jú huò huó dòng zhōng bìng wèi qí zhī fù fèi yòng de xíng wéi huò biǎo shì zhè zhǒng xíng wéi de dòng cí

Word origin

请客 (qǐngkè, "to treat guests") combines 请 (qǐng, "invite") + 客 (kè, "guest"), creating the picture of an invited guest whose host provides the meal or activity.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often separate inviting someone from paying for an outing, but this word joins those ideas and shows who covers the cost.

Other meanings

  • inviteverb

Word lists with this word