坐下

• Pinyin: zuò xia
• Hanzi breakdown: 坐 = two people on earth — to sit; 下 = a mark below a line — down, below

Meaning

To sit down. The action of moving from standing to a seated position.

A verb-complement compound of 坐 (to sit) + 下 (down). Emphasises the downward action of sitting, as opposed to 坐 which can simply mean 'to be seated'. Commonly used as an instruction or invitation. 请坐下 is slightly more direct than 请坐.

Examples

1. 请坐下吧。 Please sit down.
2. 老师让学生坐下。 The teacher asked the students to sit down.
3. 大家坐下，我们开始上课。 Everyone sit down, let's begin class.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, classroom

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你先坐下，我去倒水。(Sit down first, I'll pour some water.)
• 小朋友们请坐下。(Children, please sit down.)

Don't Say

• 坐下在椅子。(Don't put a location after 坐下 without 在 — say 坐在椅子上 or 在椅子上坐下)

Origin & History

Verb-complement compound of 坐 (to sit) + 下 (down/downward). The complement 下 specifies the direction of the action.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal