對不起

Mandarin

simpl.		对不起
trad.		對不起

Pronunciation

• IPA: [tu̯eɪ̯˥˩pu˥˩tɕʰi˨˩˦]

Interjection

對不起 (traditional, Pinyin duìbùqǐ, simplified 对不起)

1. sorry; excuse me

Verb

對不起 (traditional, Pinyin duìbùqǐ, simplified 对不起)

1. to cause someone embarrassment; to screw someone over; to do something to a person that would demand an apology later on

References

• 1997, Jerome P. Keuper, Chinese 1000: Idiomatic and Colloquial Expressions (中国话：习惯用法和口语的表达法) (in English/Mandarin), Florida: Krieger Publishing Company, ISBN 1-57524-006-8:

---

Min Nan

Pronunciation

• IPA: [ tui˥˧put˥˥kʰi˥˧ ]

Verb

對不起 (traditional, POJ tùi-put-khí, simplified 对不起)

1. to cause someone embarrassment; to screw someone over; to do something to a person that would demand an apology later on

Usage notes

• tùi-put-khí is rarely used as an interjection meaning I'm sorry in Min Nan. Use 歹勢 (phái-sè) or 失禮 (sit-lé) instead.

Synonyms

• 對不住 (tùi-pu̍t-chū)