6 Chinese phrases to express your modesty

Confucian values, such as "be modest", still run strong in China, so people usually won't say "thank you" when praised for something. Instead, they will reply modestly with other common words.

儒学价值观，如谦逊，在中国依旧根深蒂固，因此当受到称赞时，他们一般不会回答"谢谢"，相反，他们会以其他一些常见的短语谦虚地回复。

哪儿呀 (nǎ ér ya)

"哪儿呀 (nǎ ér ya)" is a polite formula showing one's modesty in a conversation. The speaker uses it as a reply to others' compliment politely, indicating he or she is not as good as what the other person has said. For example:

"哪儿呀"在对话中是一种表示谦虚的客套话，说话人可以用来回答别人对自己的赞扬，委婉客气地否定对方的话，表示自己没有对方说的那么好。例如：

A: 你唱得就跟专业歌手一样！

nǐ chàng de jiù gēn zhuān yè gē shǒu yī yàng!

You sing like a professional singer!

B: 哪儿呀！

nǎ ér ya!

Not really!

哪里 (nǎ lǐ)

"哪里 (nǎ lǐ)", a very common reply in a conversation, is used to show the speaker's modesty and courtesy. It comes in handy as a modest reply to others' compliments or used to accept others' gratitude politely. "哪里 (nǎ lǐ)" can stand alone or be reduplicated as "哪里哪里 (nǎ lǐ nǎ lǐ)".

"哪里哪里"在会话中表明说话人谦虚、客气的态度，它是一种非常常用的应答语。在听到别人夸奖时可以用，在接受别人道谢时也可以用，前者表明说话人的自谦，后者表明说话人的客气。"哪里"可以单用，也可以重叠为"哪里哪里"。例如：

A: 你的字写得真漂亮。

nǐ de zì xiě dé zhēn piāo liàng.

Your handwriting is very beautiful.

B: 哪里(哪里)。

nǎ lǐ (nǎ lǐ).

It's nothing.

哪儿的话 (nǎ ér de huà)

"哪儿的话 (nǎ ér de huà)" works as a reply in a conversation, meaning "nothing like that" or "do not say something like that". The speaker uses it to slightly negate compliments or gratitude from others. For example:

"哪儿的话"在会话中是一种应答语，意思是"不是这样的"或"不要这样说"。说话人听到别人夸奖或感谢时用以表示轻微的否定时，就可以说"哪儿的话"。例如：

A: 今天王先生真是帮了我们大忙了，非常感谢！

jīn tiān wáng xiān shēng zhēn shì bāng le wǒ men dà máng le, fēi cháng gǎn xiè!

Mr. Wang has helped us a lot today. Thank you so much!

B: 哪儿的话！

nǎ ér de huà!

It's nothing.

看你说的 (kàn nǐ shuō de)

"看你说的 (kàn nǐ shuō de)" is one of the common replies showing courtesy in a conversation. It is often used to express one's delight as well as embarrassment at praises or compliments from others. For example:

"看你说的"在会话中是一种表示客气的应答语，常常用在别人对自己的夸奖或恭维之后，表达一种喜悦而又不好意思的感情。例如：

A: 看了你刚才在舞台上的表演，我自愧不如。

kàn le nǐ gāng cái zài wǔ tái shàng de biǎo yǎn, wǒ zì kuì bú rú.

I feel ashamed after watching your stage performance just now.

B: 看你说的。

kàn nǐ shuō de.

You make me embarrassed.

彼此彼此 (bǐ cǐ bǐ cǐ)

"彼此彼此 (bǐ cǐ bǐ cǐ)" is used as a modest reply when one gets compliments from others, indicating both are as good as each other. For example:

"彼此彼此"用于在得到对方夸奖时客气地回答，用来表示对方跟自己一样好。例如：

A: 你对这项科研成果的贡献尤为重大。

nǐ duì zhè xiàng kē yán chéng guǒ de gòng xiàn yóu wéi zhòng dà.

You have made special contributions to this scientific achievement.

B: 彼此彼此。

bǐ cǐ bǐ cǐ

That makes the two of us.

说到哪儿去了 (shuō dào nǎ ér qù le)

"说到哪儿去了 (shuō dào nǎ ér qù le)" is another modest reply in a conversation. The speaker often uses it to negate the gratitude from others. For example:

"说到哪儿去了"在会话中是表示客气的又一种应答语。说话者多在听到别人感谢的话以后使用，含有对对方话语的婉转否定。例如：

A: 没有你的帮助，我肯定失败。

méi yǒu nǐ de bāng zhù, wǒ kěn dìng shī bài.

I would definitely fail without your help.

B: 说到哪儿去了。

shuō dào nǎ ér qù le.

Nonsense.

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