Do you know the words 意思 (yìsi) and 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) in Mandarin, that have multiple different meanings? These are common ways to use them:
這是什麼意思?
Zhè shì shénme yìsi?
What does it mean?
我遲到了, 不好意思!
Wǒ chídào le, bù hǎoyìsi!
I'm sorry, I'm late!
Are there any other ways to use them?
The Chinese language has a lot of 一詞多義 (yīcíduōyì) - thewords that have multiple meanings. And they are often used in daily life. Let’s discover other meanings of the words 意思 (yìsi) and 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi).
1-Minute Chinese
Watch our teacher Naren 老師 lǎoshī break down these words in this week's video 👇
The original meaning of 意思(yìsi)is "meaning"or "idea".Youmight have heardpeoplesay:
我的意思是...
Wǒ de yìsi shì ...
I mean ... / What I mean is ...
01. MEANING
這句話是什麼意思？
Zhè jù huà shì shénme yìsi?
What does this sentence mean?
Besides the original meaning, there are a few more ways to use 意思 yìsi👇
02. INTERESTING
Use it to say that something is"interesting".
有意思/沒有意思
Yǒuyìsi /méiyǒuyìsi
Interesting /not interesting (boring)
我看了一部很火的電影,叫 「長城」，太有意思了！
Wǒ kàn le yī bù hěn huǒ de diànyǐng jiào 「Chángchéng」, tài yǒuyìsi le!
I watched a very popular movie The Great Wall. So interesting!
03. GRATITUDE
Another way to use 意思(yìsi) isto express one’s gratitude by presenting a gift. In this case, you would say:
意思意思
Yìsi yìsi
to be grateful = to give a little present
我幫了你這麼大的忙，你不意思意思嗎?
Wǒ bāng le nǐ zhème dà de máng, nǐ bù yìsi yìsi ma?
I helped you a lot, aren’t you going to get me something (= give me a little present in return)?
We often use 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) to say we're sorry for inconveniencing somebody.
不好意思!
Bù hǎoyìsi!
I'm sorry!
01. I'M SORRY
今天的會議我遲到了，太不好意思了!
Jīntiān de huìyì wǒ chídào le, tài bù hǎoyìsi le!
I was late for the meeting today, I’m so sorry!
02. FEELING EMBARRASSED
If you happen to be in a situationthat makes you feel ashamed of something orembarrassed, you can also use this word.
不好意思！
Bù hǎoyìsi!
(It's) so embarrassing!
今天在地鐵上摔了一跤, 那麼多人看我。別提，多不好意思了!
Jīntiān zài dìtiě shàng shuāi le yijiāo, nàme duō rén kān wǒ. Bié tí, duō bù hǎoyìsi le!
I fell down on the subway today, so many people saw me. Don’t even mention it, so embarrassing!
Take It Further
How would you use 意思 (yìsi) and 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi)?
Can you think of other Chinese words that have multiple meanings?
Share your examples with us 👇
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