接待

• Pinyin: jiē dài
• Hanzi breakdown: 接 = 扌(hand) + 妾 (concubine, phonetic), meaning to receive or connect; 待 = 彳(step) + 寺 (temple, phonetic), meaning to treat or wait

Meaning

To receive; to host; to welcome. To greet and attend to visitors, guests, or clients.

Commonly used in professional and hospitality contexts: hotels receiving guests, companies hosting visitors, or officials welcoming delegations. Implies a level of formality and attentiveness. Also used as a noun (reception) in compound forms like 接待处 (reception desk).

Examples

1. 酒店的前台负责接待客人。 The hotel front desk is responsible for receiving guests.
2. 明天我们要接待一批外国客人。 Tomorrow we need to host a group of foreign visitors.
3. 她在公司负责接待来访的人。 She is in charge of receiving visitors at the company.

Usage Guide

Context: hospitality, business, official, workplace

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 请你负责接待今天的客人。(Please be in charge of receiving today's guests.)
• 接待处在一楼大厅。(The reception desk is in the lobby on the ground floor.)

Don't Say

• 我在家接待了一只猫。(Don't use 接待 for animals — it implies formal hospitality for people. Say 我在家收养了一只猫.)

Origin & History

Compound of 接 (to receive, to connect) and 待 (to treat, to host), together meaning 'to receive and attend to guests.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal