礼宾部
lǐ bīn bù
The English phrase hotel concierge is 礼宾部 (lǐ bīn bù) in Mandarin.
礼宾部 is most commonly used in high-end or luxury hotels to denote the professional service desk responsible for guest requests and arrangements.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 礼宾部 literally means 'concierge department'. The part 礼宾 (lǐ bīn) refers to protocol or ceremonial reception and 部 (bù) means department.
Which one should you use?
While 礼宾部 (lǐ bīn bù) refers to the department or the office, if you want to refer to the specific person (the concierge), you would typically add a job title suffix or use 礼宾员 (lǐ bīn yuán).
How do you pronounce it?
lǐ bīn bù
Did you know?
- In luxury hotels, a concierge might be called a 管家 (guǎn jiā), a term that historically referred to the powerful steward of a great noble household.
- The word 礼 (lǐ) used in this phrase is the same character used to describe the complex system of 'rites' or 'etiquette' in Confucianism.
- The character 宾 (bīn) denotes a guest of honor and is distinct from the more common word for guest 客 (kè) used in everyday settings.
Examples in context
- 请问礼宾部在哪儿？Qǐngwèn lǐbīnbù zài nǎr?Excuse me, where is the hotel concierge?
- 你可以去问问礼宾部。Nǐ kěyǐ qù wènwen lǐbīnbù.You can go ask the hotel concierge.
- 礼宾部可以帮你订票。Lǐbīnbù kěyǐ bāng nǐ dìng piào.The hotel concierge can help you book tickets.
Example conversation
Jiayi and Junjie are in the hotel lobby.
- 佳怡 Jiayi俊杰，我们去礼宾部问一下吧。Jùnjié, wǒmen qù lǐbīnbù wèn yīxià ba.Junjie, let's go ask the hotel concierge.
- 俊杰 Junjie你想问什么？Nǐ xiǎng wèn shénme?What do you want to ask?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想请他们推荐当地景点。Wǒ xiǎng qǐng tāmen tuījiàn dāngdì jǐngdiǎn.I want to ask them to recommend local attractions.
- 俊杰 Junjie好的，我们现在就过去。Hǎo de, wǒmen xiànzài jiù guòqù.Okay, let's go over there now.
