Chinese Vocabulary for: Asking for help politely
Asking for help politely in Mandarin is essential for travel and daily life. This page covers the vocabulary and sentences you need to ask for assistance without sounding rude or too direct. The content is tuned for A2–B2 and HSK 3–6, so you get real-life phrases like 'could you please...' and 'would it be possible.' Use example sentences and spaced repetition so you can ask for help confidently and politely.
When you'd use this
Use this when you need to ask someone for a favor, directions, or assistance: asking politely, saying 'could you,' and thanking them.
Key vocabulary
- 请问qǐng wèn• excuse me / may I ask
- 麻烦má fan• trouble / bother
- 帮忙bāng máng• to help
- 可以...吗kě yǐ ... ma• could you / is it okay
- 能...吗néng ... ma• can you
- 帮bāng• to help (verb)
- 谢谢xiè xie• thank you
- 感谢gǎn xiè• thanks (slightly formal)
- 不好意思bù hǎo yì si• excuse me / sorry
- 打扰dǎ rǎo• to disturb
- 劳驾láo jià• excuse me (polite)
- 拜托bài tuō• please (I'm counting on you)
- 辛苦xīn kǔ• thanks for your effort
- 不用谢bú yòng xiè• you're welcome
Example sentences
请问，可以帮我一下吗？
Qǐng wèn, kě yǐ bāng wǒ yī xià ma?
Excuse me, could you help me?
麻烦你了。
Má fan nǐ le.
Sorry to trouble you.
能帮我拿一下吗？
Néng bāng wǒ ná yī xià ma?
Could you help me get that?
谢谢，辛苦你了。
Xiè xie, xīn kǔ nǐ le.
Thanks, I appreciate your help.
不好意思打扰一下。
Bù hǎo yì si dǎ rǎo yī xià.
Sorry to disturb you.
拜托了。
Bài tuō le.
Please, I'm counting on you.
Common mistakes / natural phrasing
'请问' softens questions. '麻烦' can be 'trouble' or 'sorry to trouble you' (麻烦你了). '辛苦你了' thanks someone for their effort. '劳驾' is polite 'excuse me,' common in northern China. '拜托' implies you're really counting on them.
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