不好意思 bù hǎo yì sī Excuse me

Explanation

表示歉意或难为情，多用于口语。

To express apology or embarrassment, mostly used in spoken language.

Origin Story

小明不小心把同学的文具盒弄掉了，他连忙说：“不好意思，我不是故意的！”同学笑着说：“没关系，下次小心点就好。”小明心里感到很不好意思，但同学的宽容让他松了一口气。这件事让小明明白了，即使犯了错，真诚的道歉也能化解尴尬。

Xiaoming bù xiǎoxīn bǎ tóngxué de wénjù hé nòng diào le, tā liánmáng shuō: “bù hǎo yìsi, wǒ bùshì gùyì de!” Tóngxué xiàozhe shuō: “méiguānxi, xià cì xiǎoxīn diǎn jiù hǎo.” Xiaoming xīn lǐ gǎndào hěn bù hǎo yìsi, dàn tóngxué de kuānróng ràng tā sōng le yī kǒuqì. Zhè jiàn shì ràng Xiaoming míngbái le, jíshǐ fàn le cuò, zhēnchéng de dàoqiàn yě néng huà jiě gānggà.

Xiaoming accidentally dropped his classmate's pencil case. He quickly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" His classmate smiled and said, "It's okay, just be more careful next time." Xiaoming felt very embarrassed, but his classmate's tolerance relieved him. This incident taught Xiaoming that even if you make a mistake, a sincere apology can resolve the awkwardness.

Usage

用于表达歉意或表示由于某种原因感到为难或不好意思。

yòng yú biǎodá qiànyì huò biǎoshì yóuyú mǒu zhǒng yuányīn gǎndào wéinán huò bù hǎo yìsi

Used to express apology or to indicate embarrassment or discomfort due to some reasons.

Examples

  • 对不起，我弄坏了你的杯子。

    bùhǎo yìsi

    I'm sorry, I broke your cup.

  • 不好意思，请问厕所在哪里？

    bùhǎoyìsi

    Excuse me, where is the restroom?

  • 不好意思，打扰一下。

    bùhǎo yìsi

    Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you.

Related Idioms

  • 抱歉

  • 对不起

Opposite Idioms

  • 理直气壮

  • 理所当然