Audio
对不起 (duìbùqǐ) English Meaning
- I’m sorry
- excuse me
- pardon me
- if you please
- sorry? (please repeat)
- unworthy
- to let down
Traditional Characters: 對不起
对 forms words in:
HSK 1,HSK 2, HSK 4, HSK 5 and HSK 6. CLICK HERE to jump to the list.
不 forms words in:
HSK 1, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5 and HSK 6. CLICK HERE to jump to the list.
起 forms words in:
HSK 1,HSK 2, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5 and HSK 6. CLICK HERE to jump to the list.
Sample Sentences
- 对不起。
Duìbùqǐ.
Excuse me! - 对不起。
Duìbùqǐ.
Sorry. - 对、对不起。
Duì, duìbùqǐ.
You’re right, I’m sorry. - 你对不起我。
Nǐ duìbùqǐ wǒ.
You did me wrong. - 我只想说对不起。
Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng shuō duìbùqǐ.
I only want to say sorry.
Stroke Order & Character Components
对 (duì): right; correct; couple; pair; towards; at; for; to face; opposite; to treat (sb a certain way); to match together; to adjust; to fit; to suit; to answer; to reply; classifier: couple
- ヌ (yòu): still / hand
- 寸 (cùn): thumb
不 (bù): (negative prefix); not; no
- 一 (yī): one
- Unidentified strokes
起 (qǐ): to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; (before place or time) starting from; classifier for occurrences or unpredictable events: case, instance; classifier for groups: batch, group
- 走 (zǒu): to walk
- 己 (jǐ): personal
Links to all HSK Words & Lists Containing 对
HSK 1 Word List
- 对不起 (duì bu qǐ): I’m sorry; excuse me; pardon me; if you please; sorry? (please repeat); unworthy; to let down
HSK 2 Word List
- 对 (duì): towards; at; for; right; correct
HSK 4 Word List
- 对话 (duì huà): dialog; CL: 個|个 (gè)
- 对面 (duì miàn): opposite
- 对于 (duì yú): regarding; as far as sth is concerned; with regards to
- 反对 (fǎn duì): to fight against; to oppose; to be opposed to; opposition
HSK 5 Word List
- 对比 (duì bǐ): contrast; ratio; CL: 個|个 (gè)
- 对待 (duì dài): to treat; treatment
- 对方 (duì fāng): counterpart; other person involved; opposite side; other side; receiving party
- 对手 (duì shǒu): opponent; adversary; rival; competitor
- 对象 (duì xiàng): target; object; partner; boyfriend; girlfriend; CL: 個|个 (gè)
- 绝对 (jué duì): absolute; unconditional
- 面对 (miàn duì): to confront; to face
- 相对 (xiāng duì): relatively; opposite; to resist; to oppose; relative; vis-a-vis
- 针对 (zhēn duì): to be directed against; to be aimed at; to counter; in the light of; in connection with
HSK 6 Word List
- 对策 (duì cè): countermeasure for dealing with a situation
- 对称 (duì chèn): symmetry; symmetrical
- 对付 (duì fu): to handle; to deal with; to cope; to get by with
- 对抗 (duì kàng): to withstand; to resist; to stand off; antagonism; confrontation
- 对立 (duì lì): to oppose; to set sth against; to be antagonistic to; antithetical; relative opposite; opposing; diametrical
- 对联 (duì lián): rhyming couplet; pair of lines of verse written vertically down the sides of a doorway; CL: 幅 (fú)
- 对应 (duì yìng): to correspond; a correspondence; corresponding; homologous; matching with sth; counterpart
- 对照 (duì zhào): to contrast; to compare; to place side by side for comparison (as parallel texts); to check
*CL: Classifier/Measure Word
Links to all HSK Words & Lists Containing 不
HSK 1 Word List
- 不客气 (bú kè qi): you’re welcome; it’s my pleasure (answer to someone who thanks)
- 不 (bù): not (negative prefix); no
- 对不起 (duì bu qǐ): I’m sorry; excuse me; pardon me; if you please; sorry? (please repeat); unworthy; to let down
HSK 3 Word List
- 不但/而且(bù dàn/ ér qiě): not only … but also…
HSK 4 Word List
- 不过 (bú guò): only; merely; no more than; but; however; anyway (to get back to a previous topic)
- 不得不 (bù dé bù): have no choice or option but to; cannot but; have to; can’t help it; can’t avoid
- 不管 (bù guǎn): no matter (what, how); regardless of; no matter
- 不仅 (bù jǐn): not only (this one); not just (…) but also
- 差不多 (chà bu duō): almost; nearly; more or less
- 来不及 (lái bu jí): there’s not enough time (to do something); it’s too late (to do something)
- 受不了 (shòu bù liǎo): unbearable; unable to endure; can’t stand
HSK 5 Word List
- 不断 (bú duàn): unceasing; uninterrupted; continuous; constant
- 不见得 (bú jiàn de): not necessarily; not likely
- 不耐烦 (bú nài fán): impatience; impatient
- 不要紧 (bú yào jǐn): unimportant; not serious; it doesn’t matter; never mind; it looks all right; but
- 不安 (bù ān): unpeaceful; unstable; uneasy; disturbed; restless; worried
- 不得了 (bù dé liǎo): disastrous; desperately serious; extremely; exceedingly
- 不然 (bù rán): not so; no; or else; otherwise; if not
- 不如 (bù rú): not equal to; not as good as; inferior to; it would be better to
- 不足 (bù zú): insufficient; lacking; deficiency; not enough; inadequate; not worth; cannot; should not
- 怪不得 (guài bu de): lit. you can’t blame it!; no wonder!; so that’s why!
- 看不起 (kàn bu qǐ): to look down upon; to despise
- 了不起 (liǎo bu qǐ): amazing; terrific; extraordinary
- 忍不住 (rěn bu zhù): cannot help; unable to bear
- 舍不得 (shě bu de): to hate to do something; to hate to part with; to begrudge
- 说不定 (shuō bu dìng): can’t say for sure; maybe
- 要不 (yào bù): otherwise; or; or else; how about…? (one choice or the other); either this, or else…
HSK 6 Word List
- 爱不释手 (ài bù shì shǒu): to love something too much to part with it (idiom); to fondle admiringly
- 巴不得 (bā bù dé): to be eager for; to long for; to look forward to
- 不顾 (bú gù): in spite of; regardless of
- 不愧 (bú kuì): be worthy of; deserve to be called; prove oneself to be
- 不料 (bú liào): unexpectedly; to one’s surprise
- 不像话 (bú xiàng huà): unreasonable; shocking; outrageous
- 不屑一顾 (bú xiè yī gù): to disdain as beneath contempt
- 不得已 (bù dé yǐ): act against one’s will; have no alternative but to; have to; to have no choice; must
- 不妨 (bù fáng): there is no harm in; might as well
- 不敢当 (bù gǎn dāng): lit. I dare not (accept the honor); fig. I don’t deserve your praise; you flatter me
- 不禁 (bù jīn): can’t help (doing something); can’t refrain from
- 不堪 (bù kān): cannot bear; cannot stand; utterly; extremely
- 不可思议 (bù kě sī yì): inconceivable (idiom); unimaginable; unfathomable
- 不免 (bù miǎn): unavoidable
- 不时 (bù shí): frequently; often
- 不惜 (bù xī): not stint; not spare; not hesitate (to do something); no scruples (to do something)
- 不相上下 (bù xiāng shàng xià): equally matched; about the same
- 不言而喻 (bù yán ér yù): it goes without saying; it is self-evident
- 不由得 (bù yóu de): can’t help; cannot but
- 不择手段 (bù zé shǒu duàn): by fair means or foul; by hook or by crook; unscrupulously
- 不止 (bù zhǐ): incessantly; without end; more than; not limited to
- 层出不穷 (céng chū bù qióng): more and more emerge; innumerable succession; breeding like flies (idiom)
- 川流不息 (chuān liú bù xī): the stream flows without stopping (idiom); unending flow
- 大不了 (dà bù liǎo): at worst; if worst comes to worst; serious; alarming
- 得不偿失 (dé bù cháng shī): (saying) the gains do not make up for the losses
- 供不应求 (gōng bù yìng qiú): supply does not meet demand
- 恨不得 (hèn bu dé): wishing one could do something; to hate to be unable; itching to do something; can’t wait for; to wish one could do something; to desire strongly
- 刻不容缓 (kè bù róng huǎn): to brook no delay; to demand immediate action
- 络绎不绝 (luò yì bù jué): continuously; in an endless stream (idiom)
- 迫不及待 (pò bù jí dài): impatient (idiom); in a hurry; itching to get on with it
- 锲而不舍 (qiè ér bù shě): to chip away at a task and not abandon it (idiom); to chisel away at something; to persevere; unflagging efforts
- 滔滔不绝 (tāo tāo bù jué): unceasing torrent (idiom); talking non-stop; gabbling forty to the dozen
- 微不足道 (wēi bù zú dào): negligible; insignificant
- 无微不至 (wú wēi bù zhì): in every possible way (idiom); meticulous
- 一丝不苟 (yì sī bù gǒu): not one thread loose (idiom); strictly according to the rules; meticulous; not one hair out of place
- 有条不紊 (yǒu tiáo bù wěn): regular and thorough (idiom); methodically arranged
*CL: Classifier/Measure Word
Links to all HSK Words & Lists Containing 起
HSK 1 Word List
- 对不起 (duì bu qǐ): I’m sorry; excuse me; pardon me; if you please; sorry? (please repeat); unworthy; to let down
HSK 2 Word List
- 起床 (qǐ chuáng): to get up
- 一起 (yī qǐ): together; in the same place; with; all together (in total)
HSK 3 Word List
- 起飞 (qǐ fēi): to take off (in an airplane)
- 起来 (qǐ lái): beginning or continuing an action; upward movement; stand up
HSK 4 Word List
- 引起 (yǐn qǐ): to give rise to; to lead to; to cause; to arouse
HSK 5 Word List
- 看不起 (kàn bu qǐ): to look down upon; to despise
- 了不起 (liǎo bu qǐ): amazing; terrific; extraordinary
HSK 6 Word List
- 起草 (qǐ cǎo): draft (a bill); draw up (plans)
- 起初 (qǐ chū): originally; at first; at the outset
- 起伏 (qǐ fú): to move up and down; to undulate; ups and downs
- 起哄 (qǐ hòng): to heckle; rowdy jeering; to create a disturbance
- 起码 (qǐ mǎ): at the minimum; at the very least
- 起源 (qǐ yuán): origin; to originate; to come from
- 掀起 (xiān qǐ): to lift; to raise in height; to begin; upsurge; to set off (a campaign)
