\tThere are many ways to say “sorry” in Mandarin Chinese, but one of the most common and versatile phrases is \u25baduì bu q\u01d0. It means "sorry" in the sense that you have wronged someone and want to apologise. The phrase consists of three Chinese characters: \u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77 (\u5c0d\u4e0d\u8d77 in traditional Chinese):<\/p>\n
\t\u5bf9 (duì) in this case means" to face", but can in other situations mean many other things, such as "correct" or "to".<\/p>\n
\t\u4e0d (bù), is a negative particle that can be translated as "no" or "not".
\t\u8d77 (q\u01d0), literally means "to rise”, but is often used in an extended meaning "to be able to".
\tIf you put these together, you get something like "unable to face", which is the feeling you have when you have wronged someone. This phrase in Chinese can function as a standalone way of saying "sorry", but it can also be used as a verb, so you can say:<\/p>\n
\t\u6211\u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77\u4f60<\/p>\n
\tw\u01d2 duìbuq\u01d0 n\u01d0<\/p>\n
\tI have wronged you.<\/p>\n
\tLet's look at a few more examples. As you will see, the thing you have done to wrong the other needn't be as serious as all that, this is often just a way of being polite, just like saying "sorry" is in English.<\/p>\n
\t\u25baDuì bu q\u01d0, w\u01d2 g\u0101i z\u01d2u le.
\t\u5c0d\u4e0d\u8d77, \u6211\u8a72\u8d70\u4e86\uff61
\t\u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77, \u6211\u8be5\u8d70\u4e86\uff61
\tSorry, I have to go now.<\/p>\n
\t\u25baRú gu\u01d2 w\u01d2 shu\u014d duì bu q\u01d0, n\u01d0 shì f\u01d2u jiù huì yuán liàng w\u01d2?
\t\u5982\u679c\u6211\u8aaa\u5c0d\u4e0d\u8d77, \u4f60\u662f\u5426\u5c31\u6703\u539f\u8ad2\u6211?
\t\u5982\u679c\u6211\u8bf4\u5bf9\u4e0d\u8d77, \u4f60\u662f\u5426\u5c31\u4f1a\u539f\u8c05\u6211?
\tIf I say I’m sorry, will you be able to forgive me?
\tIt should be mentioned that there are other ways of interpreting or breaking down this phrase.<\/p>\n
\tYou could also think of it as \u5bf9 meaning "to treat" or "correct", which would give the sense that you have not treated someone the right way or that you have done them wrong. For practical purposes, it matters little which you use; pick whichever explanation you find easiest to memorise.<\/p>\n