Chinese word

请

Pronunciation

Pinyinqǐng

Meaning

  • verbplease

Example

请坐。qǐng zuò

Please sit down.

Illustration for 请 (please)

More examples

请进，这边请。qǐng jìn zhè biān qǐng

Please come in; this way, please.

Core concept

A polite invitation or request that opens the way for another person to act.

Common phrases

  • 请进qǐng jìn

    please come in

  • 请等一下qíng děng yí xià

    Please wait a moment

  • 请慢用qǐng màn yòng

    Please enjoy your meal

Similar words

可以ké yǐ: Asks whether an action is allowed.
能néng: Shows that someone or something has the ability or conditions needed for an action.
让ràng: Has another person do something by giving permission or directing the action.
会huì: Shows an ability gained through learning or practice.

Definition in Chinese

用于礼貌地请求、邀请或允许对方做某事，也用于提出问题的开头，如“请问”。yòng yú lǐ mào dì qǐng qiú yāo qǐng huò yún xǔ duì fāng zuò mǒu shì yě yòng yú tí chū wèn tí de kāi tóu rú qǐng wèn

Word origin

请 (qǐng, "please") is the simplified form of traditional 請 (qǐng, "please"), with 言 (yán, "speech") showing its link to words and 青 (qīng, "blue-green") serving mainly as the sound component.

Usage tips

  • English often places "please" at the end of a request, but Chinese commonly places 请 (qǐng, "please") before the action or question, making the polite framing easy to spot.

Other meanings

  • askverb
  • inviteverb

Word lists with this word