对不起對不起 duìbuqǐ — sorry; excuse me
duìbuqǐ (fourth tone, falling)dui4bu5qi3
Traditional: 對不起
sorry; excuse me
HSK 1· HSK 1–6 (classic)Level 1· 2021 three-band, nine-level proficiency standardverbphrase
Meanings
sorry; excuse me
An apology for something you have actually done wrong. To open a question politely — the "excuse me" that gets someone’s attention — Chinese uses 请问 instead.
verb
Character breakdown
Example sentences
- 对不起，我明天不能来。對不起，我明天不能來。Duìbuqǐ, (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) míngtiān (second tone, rising) bù (fourth tone, falling) néng (second tone, rising) lái. (second tone, rising)···
I’m sorry, I can’t come tomorrow.
- 对不起，这个字我不认识。對不起，這個字我不認識。Duìbuqǐ, (fourth tone, falling) zhège (fourth tone, falling) zì (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) bú (second tone, rising) rènshi. (fourth tone, falling)···
Sorry — I don’t know this character.
Common mistakes
Not quite对不起，医院在哪儿？
Correct请问，医院在哪儿？
对不起 apologises; it does not flag a question. Stopping a stranger to ask something calls for 请问.
Similar words
Words containing 不
- 不bù (fourth tone, falling)not (negates verbs, adjectives and modal verbs)
- 不要bù (fourth tone, falling) yào (fourth tone, falling)don't!
- 不错不錯bù (fourth tone, falling) cuò (fourth tone, falling)correct
- 不同bù (fourth tone, falling) tóng (second tone, rising)different
- 不断不斷búduàn (second tone, rising)continuously, unceasingly
- 不过不過búguò (second tone, rising)but, however (a lighter contrast than 但是)
- 不如bùrú (fourth tone, falling)to be not as good as; had better
- 不再bù (fourth tone, falling) zài (fourth tone, falling)no more
- 不用bù (fourth tone, falling) yòng (fourth tone, falling)need not
- 不少bù (fourth tone, falling) shǎo (third tone, dipping)many
- 不但búdàn (second tone, rising)not only … (but also)
- 差不多chàbuduō (fourth tone, falling)about the same, close enough, not much different
- 不然bùrán (fourth tone, falling)otherwise, or else
- 不管bùguǎn (fourth tone, falling)no matter (what/how…), regardless of
- 不足bùzú (fourth tone, falling)insufficient, inadequate; a shortcoming
- 不够不夠bù (fourth tone, falling) gòu (fourth tone, falling)not enough
- 不行bù (fourth tone, falling) xíng (second tone, rising)won't do
- 不仅不僅bù (fourth tone, falling) jǐn (third tone, dipping)not only (this one)
Words containing 起
- 起qǐ (third tone, dipping)to rise
- 起来起來qǐlái (third tone, dipping)to get up, to stand up, to rise
- 一起yìqǐ (fourth tone, falling)together
- 引起yǐnqǐ (third tone, dipping)to give rise to, to cause, to trigger
- 想起xiǎng (third tone, dipping) qǐ (third tone, dipping)to recall
- 起床qǐchuáng (third tone, dipping)to get up, to get out of bed
- 看起来看起來kàn (fourth tone, falling) qǐ (third tone, dipping) lai (neutral tone)seemingly
- 起诉起訴qǐ (third tone, dipping) sù (fourth tone, falling)to sue
- 起飞起飛qǐfēi (third tone, dipping)to take off (of an aircraft)
- 提起tí (second tone, rising) qǐ (third tone, dipping)to mention
- 起码起碼qǐ (third tone, dipping) mǎ (third tone, dipping)at the minimum
- 发起發起fā (first tone, high and level) qǐ (third tone, dipping)to originate
- 了不起liǎo (third tone, dipping) bu (neutral tone) qǐ (third tone, dipping)amazing
- 响起響起xiǎng (third tone, dipping) qǐ (third tone, dipping)(of a sound) to come forth
- 起点起點qǐ (third tone, dipping) diǎn (third tone, dipping)starting point
- 掀起xiān (first tone, high and level) qǐ (third tone, dipping)to lift
- 起步qǐ (third tone, dipping) bù (fourth tone, falling)to set out