请闭嘴
qǐng bìzuǐ
In Chinese, "please shut up" is said as 请闭嘴 (qǐng bìzuǐ).
请闭嘴 is used as a request or command for someone to stop talking immediately. While it includes the word for "please," it remains a very direct way to tell someone to shut up. If you want to convey a softer meaning such as "please do not talk," you might use 请不要讲话. For a general command to "stop talking," you can use 别说话了, or if you want to be much more polite by asking someone to "stay quiet for a while," you can say 拜托，请安静一会儿好吗？
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 请 (please), 闭 (to close/shut) and 嘴 (mouth).
Which one should you use?
If you want to ask someone to be quiet without being offensive, use 安静点 (be a bit quieter) instead of 闭嘴.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase 请闭嘴 is a direct way to tell someone to shut up. Removing the word 请 to say just 闭嘴 makes the command much more blunt and rude.
How do you pronounce it?
qǐng bìzuǐ
Did you know?
- A common slang alternative to 闭嘴 is 闭麦 ('close the mic'). This term migrated from online gaming and video conferencing into daily spoken language to tell someone to stop talking.
- In Chinese culture, using the word 'please', 请, does not necessarily soften a command like 闭嘴. Because the phrase is so direct, adding 'please' can sometimes make the speaker sound patronizing or sarcastically polite rather than genuinely courteous.
- The directness of 闭嘴 can be seen as a 'face-breaking' moment. In a culture that emphasizes 'mianzi' (face), telling someone to shut up is not just a request for silence, but a direct attack on their social standing.
Examples in context
- 请闭嘴，我在看书。Qǐng bìzuǐ, wǒ zài kànshū.Please shut up, I am reading a book.
- 你很吵，请闭嘴。Nǐ hěn chǎo, qǐng bìzuǐ.You are being very noisy, please shut up.
- 太吵了，请闭嘴。Tài chǎo le, qǐng bìzuǐ.It's too noisy, please shut up.
Example conversation
Two friends are arguing during a movie.
- 浩然 Haoran佳怡，你说话太大了。Jiāyí, nǐ shuōhuà tài dà le.Jiayi, you are talking too loudly.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想告诉你这个剧情！Wǒ xiǎng gàosù nǐ zhège jùqíng!I want to tell you about the plot!
- 浩然 Haoran请闭嘴，我想听电影。Qǐng bìzuǐ, wǒ xiǎng tīng diànyǐng.Please shut up, I want to hear the movie.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好吧，我闭嘴。Hǎo ba, wǒ bìzuǐ.Fine, I'll shut up.
