How to say "please (formal)" in Chinese
务请
wù qǐng
social · social · beginner · formal
When To Use It
"please (formal)" maps to 务请 (wù qǐng), a formal social phrase for social situations.
This phrase fits casual social contact, quick check-ins, and low-pressure interactions with friends or acquaintances.
Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.
Tone And Delivery
The register is formal, which means it is better for respectful, official, or carefully worded interactions than for playful small talk.
Because this is marked beginner, you should aim to recognize it instantly and reuse it with your own names, nouns, locations, or numbers.
A good practice target is the example sentence 务请 (wù qǐng). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.
Practice Ideas
This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 兄台 (xiōng tái).
A second nearby phrase to review is 您好 (nín hǎo), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.
- Read the example “please (formal)” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
- Pair it with “Brother (polite appellation for a friend one's age)” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
- Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
- If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.
Examples
务请
wù qǐng
please (formal)
Related
- brother (polite appellation for a friend one's age) — 兄台 (xiōng tái)
- hello (polite) — 您好 (nín hǎo)
- official name of a nation (includes dynastic names of China: 漢|汉[Han4], 唐[Tang2] etc) — 国号 (guó hào)
- one's ancestral home (registered place of family origin, typically inherited patrilineally and recorded in official documents) — 籍贯 (jí guàn)
Explore more phrases on the How to say index or try the Chinese Name Generator.
Phrase FAQ
How do you say "please (formal)" in Chinese?
务请 (wù qǐng).
When should I use this phrase?
Use it in social situations where a formal tone fits. Because it is tagged beginner, it is meant to be practical and reusable rather than literary or highly specialized.
Is pronunciation included?
Yes. Every phrase page includes pinyin with tone marks, plus example sentences so you can hear how the wording expands in real use.
What should I learn next after this phrase?
A useful follow-up is 兄台 (xiōng tái) — "brother (polite appellation for a friend one's age)". Studying connected phrases in small clusters makes them easier to recall in conversation.