What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 非常 (fēi cháng), meaning 'very' or 'extremely' and 感谢 (gǎn xiè), meaning 'to thank' or 'to be grateful'.
Which one should you use?
While 非常感谢 is a strong way to say "I appreciate it", the simpler 谢谢 is more common for everyday, casual thanks. In contrast, 非常感谢 is more formal and carries more weight, making it suitable for situations where someone has done a significant favor.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, you can use 感谢您 for "Thank you" or the super formal 万分感谢 for "Thank you very much". For informal situations, you might use 太谢谢了 or 真的谢谢你 to say "Thank you so much" or "Thank you, really".
How does it change in a sentence?
You can add the pronoun 你 (nǐ), meaning 'you', after 非常感谢 to specify whom you are thanking, such as in 非常感谢你.
How do you pronounce it?
fēi cháng gǎn xiè
Did you know?
- In some traditional Chinese social contexts, responding to 非常感谢 with a simple 'you are welcome' can be seen as too direct. Instead, people often use 哪里哪里 (nǎ lǐ nǎ lǐ) to modestly deflect the praise.
- The character 感 (gǎn) in 感谢 originally depicted a heart under a hand, symbolizing the physical act of feeling an emotion in one's chest.
- The word 非常 (fēi cháng) literally translates to 'not ordinary'. Thus, when you say you appreciate something 'very much', you are literally saying your gratitude is 'not ordinary'.
Examples in context
- 感谢您对我工作的支持。Thank you for your support in my work.
- 非常感谢您这么慷慨地帮助我们。Thank you very much for your generous help.
- 谢谢你帮我搬家。Thanks for helping me move.
- 太谢谢你送给我的礼物了。Thank you so much for the gift you gave me.
- 非常感谢你的帮助。Fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ de bāngzhù.I appreciate your help very much.
- 非常感谢你送我的礼物。Fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ sòng wǒ de lǐwù.I appreciate the gift you gave me.
- 非常感谢大家今天能来。Fēicháng gǎnxiè dàjiā jīntiān néng lái.I really appreciate everyone coming today.
Example conversation
志强 helped 晓雯 carry a heavy box to her office.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，非常感谢你帮我搬这个箱子。Zhìqiáng, fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ bāng wǒ bān zhège xiāngzi.Zhiqiang, I appreciate you helping me carry this box.
- 志强 Zhiqiang不用客气，这是我应该做的。Bùyòng kèqì, zhè shì wǒ yīnggāi zuò de.You're welcome, it's what I should do.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你真是一个好同事。Nǐ zhēn shì yígè hǎo tóngshì.You are truly a good colleague.
- 志强 Zhiqiang希望能帮到你。Xīwàng néng bāng dào nǐ.I hope I could help.
