邀请

• Pinyin: yāo qǐng
• Hanzi breakdown: 邀 = 辶 (walking) + 敫, to invite/intercept; 请 = 讠(speech) + 青, to request/invite

Meaning

To invite; invitation. The act of asking someone to attend an event or participate in something.

Used for formal invitations to events, dinners, conferences, or joining organizations. Can function as both a verb and a noun. More formal than 请 alone. Common collocations include 邀请函 (invitation letter) and 邀请码 (invitation code).

Examples

1. 我们邀请了几位专家来参加这次研讨会。 We invited several experts to participate in this seminar.
2. 谢谢你的邀请，我一定准时到。 Thank you for your invitation — I'll be there on time.
3. 这个活动需要邀请码才能报名参加。 This event requires an invitation code to register.

Usage Guide

Context: events, business, social

Tone: polite

Do Say

• 我想邀请你参加我的生日派对。(I want to invite you to my birthday party.)
• 收到您的邀请我很荣幸。(I'm honored to receive your invitation.)

Don't Say

• 我邀请你走 (To ask someone to leave, use 请 alone: 请你离开 — 邀请 is for welcoming, not dismissing)

Origin & History

Compound of 邀 (to invite, to meet) and 请 (to request, to invite). Both characters convey the idea of requesting someone's presence.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal