<p>There are many good suggestions in the answers, for example:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>user6065 wrote: </p>
  
  <p><em>standard phrase: ：不敢当! jukuu：You flatter me. 你过奖了。你太捧我啦。6. You flatter me. I wish I could deserve such compliments. 好说！好说！ 您太夸奖了。</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>But a slight drawback of using standard phrases is it makes you sound a little bit too formal and distant. If your Chinese is actually great, it would make your modest sounds false. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>you would like to just have a normal conversation. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>It can be done by simply say "謝謝"(thanks) or "过奖" (it is too high a praise)--  A short reply without too much emphasis. Then go on with the conversation.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/phorum/read.php?1,136311,136326#msg-136326" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Phrases to brush off compliments</a> </p>
  
  <p>A humble response should be brief and low key.
  Long phrase felt more like a speech.</p>
  
  <p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/phorum/read.php?1,134810,134854#msg-134854" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Use of 過獎</a></p>
  
  <p>過獎 =太過/過於( too much / overly) 褒獎 / 誇獎 ( greatly praise / overly praise)
  Usually, you use 過獎 as a polite/ humble respond to a great compliment</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-01T17:52:46.973Z
2017-02-01T18:14:07.187Z
2017-02-01T18:14:07.187Z
Tang Ho
<p>The polite Chinese response to flattering comments is to deny them.  哪裏哪裏 (approximately: “'good', where?”) is a common phrase that can be used, or 不好 “not good”, or 還差得遠了 “far from it”, or 還要多學 “I have to study more”.  A more literate phrase is 見笑 ("[people] laugh at [my skills]").</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-01T09:20:21.023Z
2017-02-01T09:20:21.023Z
MunHo
<p>You can say，真的吗？我的中文能得到一个中国人的表扬，太棒了！ really？ it is awesome that my chinese gets complimented by a chinese！
he or she will be flattered.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-01T08:59:01.230Z
2017-02-01T08:59:01.230Z
benjaminchanming
<p>1 - If you say "谢谢", people will think you are rather proud
2 - If you say long sentences like: "真的吗？我的中文能得到一个中国人的表扬，太棒了！" people won't even listen until the end of such a long answer and will mainly think you are trying to show off and boast...
3 - Whatever the answer, it is not because you get a smile in return that people won't think u're rather arrogant. West and East react differently aka 直接 (zhíjiē) and 间接 (jiànjiē) </p>

<p>So what should you say then? 
Just: "哪里哪里!" is the simplest and the BEST option as it is exactly what the (Chinese) person who praised u is expecting you to answer :-) </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-08T08:20:00.830Z
2017-02-08T08:20:00.830Z
Roger Lee
<p>One common answer is “哪里哪里” which literally translates to "Where? Where?" But it is kind of a coy way to humbly accept the compliment.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-20T03:47:55.517Z
2017-12-20T03:47:55.517Z
ssilve01
<p>Well I know answers are well-meant, but I do not particularly recommend false modesty. If I were you (or as I am speaking as a L2 learner), I would probably say something like: "謝謝啦！口說還行，才學了一兩年。" (revise to fit your case) Or if you <em>really</em> want to show an air of modesty, consider: "您客氣了。中文博大精深，還要加強呢！"</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-01T13:05:35.710Z
2017-02-01T13:05:35.710Z
Violapterin
<p>I like the "you flatter me" response but since I just learned the phrase here I say 不太好。It seems to work.  And it's true!</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-03T22:37:07.100Z
2017-02-03T22:37:07.100Z
user3131341
<p>是嗎？ (or 有嗎？ or 真的嗎？) 我覺得沒有很好吔。<br>
Really? I do not think it's very good.<br>
Really? I don't think my Chinese is very good.</p>

<p>or</p>

<p>沒有啦！謝謝你。<br>
No. Thank you.<br>
Not at all. Thank you.</p>

<p>You don't have to worry about this.
It's just like somebody asks a foreigner, "Where are you from?".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-01T08:37:45.997Z
2017-02-01T08:37:45.997Z
vuluvsa
<p>A lot of the time, Chinese people will respond to a foreigner speaking Chinese with "wow your Chinese is so good!" What is a polite way to respond without sounding rude or full of yourself? Especially when you have studied Chinese for multiple years and you would like to just have a normal conversation.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-01T09:36:24.410Z
standard phrase: ：不敢当!
jukuu：You flatter me. 你过奖了。你太捧我啦。6.  You flatter me. I wish I could deserve such compliments. 好说！好说！ 您太夸奖了。
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-01T11:01:49.200Z
user6065's comment is a lot better than answers below
Mou某
<simplified-characters>
What is the appropriate response to "Your Chinese is so good!"
# What is the appropriate response to "Your Chinese is so good!"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-02-01)

A lot of the time, Chinese people will respond to a foreigner speaking Chinese with "wow your Chinese is so good!" What is a polite way to respond without sounding rude or full of yourself? Especially when you have studied Chinese for multiple years and you would like to just have a normal conversation.

**Tags:** simplified-characters

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: standard phrase: ：不敢当! jukuu：You flatter me. 你过奖了。你太捧我啦。6.  You flatter me. I wish I could deserve such compliments. 好说！好说！ 您太夸奖了。  
> **username_2**: username_1's comment is a lot better than answers below  

---

## 8 answers

### Answer by username_10 on 2017-02-01. Score: 10 | Accepted answer

是嗎？ (or 有嗎？ or 真的嗎？) 我覺得沒有很好吔。  
Really? I do not think it's very good.  
Really? I don't think my Chinese is very good.

or

沒有啦！謝謝你。  
No. Thank you.  
Not at all. Thank you.

You don't have to worry about this.
It's just like somebody asks a foreigner, "Where are you from?".


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-02-01. Score: 4

There are many good suggestions in the answers, for example:

> username_1 wrote:
>
> *standard phrase: ：不敢当! jukuu：You flatter me. 你过奖了。你太捧我啦。6. You flatter me. I wish I could deserve such compliments. 好说！好说！ 您太夸奖了。*

But a slight drawback of using standard phrases is it makes you sound a little bit too formal and distant. If your Chinese is actually great, it would make your modest sounds false.

> you would like to just have a normal conversation.

It can be done by simply say "謝謝"(thanks) or "过奖" (it is too high a praise)-- A short reply without too much emphasis. Then go on with the conversation.

> [Phrases to brush off compliments](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/phorum/read.php?1,136311,136326#msg-136326)
>
> A humble response should be brief and low key.
> Long phrase felt more like a speech.
>
> [Use of 過獎](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/phorum/read.php?1,134810,134854#msg-134854)
>
> 過獎 =太過/過於( too much / overly) 褒獎 / 誇獎 ( greatly praise / overly praise)
> Usually, you use 過獎 as a polite/ humble respond to a great compliment


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### Answer by username_4 on 2017-02-01. Score: 3

The polite Chinese response to flattering comments is to deny them. 哪裏哪裏 (approximately: “'good', where?”) is a common phrase that can be used, or 不好 “not good”, or 還差得遠了 “far from it”, or 還要多學 “I have to study more”. A more literate phrase is 見笑 ("[people] laugh at [my skills]").


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### Answer by username_5 on 2017-02-01. Score: 2

You can say，真的吗？我的中文能得到一个中国人的表扬，太棒了！ really？ it is awesome that my chinese gets complimented by a chinese！
he or she will be flattered.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2017-02-08. Score: 1

1 - If you say "谢谢", people will think you are rather proud
2 - If you say long sentences like: "真的吗？我的中文能得到一个中国人的表扬，太棒了！" people won't even listen until the end of such a long answer and will mainly think you are trying to show off and boast...
3 - Whatever the answer, it is not because you get a smile in return that people won't think u're rather arrogant. West and East react differently aka 直接 (zhíjiē) and 间接 (jiànjiē)

So what should you say then?
Just: "哪里哪里!" is the simplest and the BEST option as it is exactly what the (Chinese) person who praised u is expecting you to answer :-)


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### Answer by username_7 on 2017-12-20. Score: 1

One common answer is “哪里哪里” which literally translates to "Where? Where?" But it is kind of a coy way to humbly accept the compliment.


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### Answer by username_8 on 2017-02-01. Score: 0

Well I know answers are well-meant, but I do not particularly recommend false modesty. If I were you (or as I am speaking as a L2 learner), I would probably say something like: "謝謝啦！口說還行，才學了一兩年。" (revise to fit your case) Or if you *really* want to show an air of modesty, consider: "您客氣了。中文博大精深，還要加強呢！"


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### Answer by username_9 on 2017-02-03. Score: -1

I like the "you flatter me" response but since I just learned the phrase here I say 不太好。It seems to work. And it's true!


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