告辞

• Pinyin: gào cí
• Hanzi breakdown: 告 = 牛 + 口 (announce, inform); 辞 = 舌 + 辛 (tongue + hardship — words, to resign, to take leave)

Meaning

To take one's leave; to bid farewell formally; to excuse oneself from a visit or gathering in a polite, somewhat ceremonious manner.

A formal and courteous expression used when leaving a social call, meeting, or official occasion. More ceremonious than 走了 or 再见. Often accompanied by an explanation: 时间不早了，我先告辞. Used across formal meetings, literary contexts, and traditional social etiquette.

Examples

1. 宴席结束，宾客们依次向主人告辞，并对这次盛情款待表达了诚挚的谢意。 When the banquet ended, the guests took turns politely saying goodbye to the host and sincerely thanked them for the warm hospitality.
2. 会谈持续了近三个小时，双方代表握手致意，随后彬彬有礼地告辞离场。 The talks lasted nearly three hours. The delegates from both sides shook hands, exchanged courtesies, and then politely took their leave.
3. 他瞥了一眼手表，发现已近深夜，便起身向在座各位告辞，说明需尽快赶赴机场。 He glanced at his watch and saw it was already late at night, so he stood up to excuse himself to everyone present, explaining that he needed to get to the airport as soon as possible.

Usage Guide

Context: social etiquette, meetings, formal visits, classical

Tone: polite

Do Say

• 感谢您今日拨冗接待，时间已经不早，我就先告辞了，改日再登门拜访。(Thank you for taking the time to receive me today — it is getting late, so I shall take my leave now and call on you again another day.)
• 外宾们参观完展馆后，向馆长一一告辞，并对展览的精心策划表示了高度赞扬。(After visiting the exhibition hall, the foreign guests took their leave of the director one by one and spoke highly of the meticulous curation of the exhibition.)

Don't Say

• 我现在告辞一下 — 一下 trivialises the formality; simply say 我先告辞了 without 一下 in formal contexts

Origin & History

告 (to announce/inform) + 辞 (words/to leave)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical to present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal