谢谢您的美言
xièxie nín de měiyán
The English phrase "thank you for your kind words" is translated into Chinese as 谢谢您的美言 (xièxie nín de měiyán).
This phrase is a polite expression used to thank someone for giving a compliment or saying something nice. In many social contexts, instead of just saying thank you, a native speaker might use 过奖了 (guòjiǎng le) to say "you flatter me / you overpraise me" to show humility when receiving a compliment.
Which one should you use?
Replacing 您 (nín) with 你 (nǐ) makes the phrase 谢谢你的美言, which is less formal and more suitable for friends or peers.
How do you pronounce it?
xièxie nín de měiyán
Did you know?
- In many Chinese social circles, responding to a compliment with 哪里哪里 (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ), meaning 'where, where', is a common way to show modesty by pretending to be unworthy of the praise.
- In mainland China, the phrase 美言 (měiyán) can sometimes carry a slightly negative connotation of 'sweet talk' or 'flattery' depending on the tone and context.
- In Chinese culture, the concept of 'humility' (谦虚 qiānxū) is often more valued than 'gratitude', which is why phrases like 过奖了 are often preferred over a simple 'thank you'.
Example conversation
Wei compliments Yuting on her presentation at work.
- 伟 Wei雨婷，你的报告做得太出色了！Yǔtíng, nǐ de bàogào zuò de tài chūsè le!Yuting, your report was done brilliantly!
- 雨婷 Yuting谢谢您的美言，伟。Xièxie nín de měiyán, Wěi.Thank you for your kind words, Wei.
- 伟 Wei这是事实，大家都非常满意。Zhè shì shìshí, dàjiā dōu fēicháng mǎnyì.It is a fact, everyone is very satisfied.
- 雨婷 Yuting听到您这么说，我就放心了。Tīngdào nín zhème shuō, wǒ jiù fàngxīn le.Hearing you say that, I feel relieved.
