请 (polite requests with 'qing')

• Pinyin: qǐng
• Formation: 请 + Verb + Object
• Hanzi breakdown: 请 = 讠(speech) + 青 (blue/green, phonetic) — making a verbal request

Meaning

The word 请 (qǐng) means 'please' and is placed before a verb to make polite requests or invitations. It elevates the formality and courtesy of any statement.

请 is the primary way to add politeness to requests in Mandarin. It functions similarly to 'please' in English but is used more selectively — overusing 请 can sound overly formal or even sarcastic in casual settings among close friends. In service contexts (restaurants, offices, customer interactions), 请 is standard and expected. It can also mean 'to invite' or 'to treat someone' (e.g., 我请你吃饭 'I'll treat you to a meal'). Unlike English 'please,' which can appear at the end of a sentence, 请 always comes before the verb phrase. It pairs naturally with imperatives to soften them into courteous requests.

Examples

1. 请坐。 Please have a seat.
2. 请大家安静一下。 Please be quiet, everyone.
3. 请把门关上。 Please close the door.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, service, workplace

Tone: polite

Do Say

• 请问，洗手间在哪里？
• 请你帮我拿一下那个文件。
• 请稍等，马上就好。

Don't Say

• 你请坐下来。(请 should come at the beginning of the request, not after the subject in imperative sentences) → 请坐下来。
• 请你不要请说话。(Using 请 twice in one clause is redundant and unnatural) → 请你不要说话。
• 我请看这本书。(请 is for requests to others, not for actions you do yourself — use 想 or just state the action) → 我想看这本书。

Origin & History

The character 请 combines 讠(speech radical) and 青 (green/blue, also phonetic). In Classical Chinese, 请 meant 'to request' or 'to ask permission,' and its polite usage has been continuous for over two thousand years.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal