<p><a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/1791625.htm">不客气</a> is a polite way of acknowledging someone's compliment or thanks. Although it literally translates to "don't be polite", once you consider some equivalent phrases, it's meaning becomes clear.</p>

<p>Equivalents in Chinese:</p>

<ul>
<li>不用谢 - (no need to thank [me])</li>
<li>别客气</li>
</ul>

<p>Equivalents in English:</p>

<ul>
<li>You're too kind</li>
<li>Don't mention it</li>
<li>Not at all</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-31T10:16:20.087Z
I guess "You're too kind" works for the purpose of this joke. I will mark this as the answer.
pg-robban
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-30T22:31:26.443Z
2013-12-30T22:31:26.443Z
congusbongus
<p>It's a way we express humbleness. so the 不客气 is equivalent to "I'm flattered"</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-30T17:35:02.777Z
Makes sense, I guess then the joke works in English as well. But why don't the authors use 哪里 instead?
pg-robban
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-31T05:20:04.187Z
This is wrong. "I'm flattered" is 过奖了.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-31T05:46:29.170Z
@QuestionOverflow I feel the translation is kind of difficult. If translate it as usual, like congusbongus's answer, it doesn't sound like a joke (doesn't it?) Let alone some phrases with a double meaning.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-31T06:22:14.100Z
@Stan, the joke has nothing to do with how you would translate a phrase. In fact, 不客气 can all be replaced with 过奖了 or 谢谢 without affecting the crosstalk at all.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-30T17:01:01.823Z
2013-12-30T17:01:01.823Z
sotondolphin
<p>I don't think those "不客气" are of proper usage in daily life. </p>

<p>Since it is from a cross-talking (相声), I think the author of this 相声 is trying to be sarcastic [otherwise, it would not be funny]: some people pretend to be humble and polite but in their heart they are actually very arrogant. </p>

<p>Think of someone who is complimented says "You're welcome"  instead of "Thank you" or "I am flattered". Same story.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-05T22:23:58.487Z
2014-01-08T01:08:02.307Z
2014-01-08T01:08:02.307Z
L.J
<p>My money is on: 别客气 in the 5th line should be "Oh, you're just being polite". In subsequent lines it might be "No, no, no". But the use of 不客气 in succession like this sounds weird.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-07T00:09:19.437Z
2014-01-07T00:09:19.437Z
Ned Danison
<p>I think "don't mention it" would be the best here. </p>

<p>Generally "no worries" works too.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-04T02:04:17.390Z
2014-01-04T02:04:17.390Z
Cherie
<p>When you are offered something (food, drink, etc.) it's a way to express "Make yourself at home/Help yourself/etc".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-07T21:30:12.960Z
While that is true, this should probably be a comment and not an answer.
musicnothing
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-01T02:16:48.613Z
2014-01-01T02:16:48.613Z
Kovács Imre
<p>I don't think the accepted answer is approriate given the circumstance of conversation.
这个相声里的“不客气”，是“过奖”的意思：“您过奖了”,或者“不敢当”，something like "You flatter me." 所以到最后一句，就抖出包袱了：说他表快一个小时，仍用了"You flattered me." 显然不合适。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-12T06:20:55.833Z
I would like to know the reason for the downvotes.

And I would also like to know the reason why all of my answers get downvotes within only 20 seconds.
lenonya
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-16T22:34:21.337Z
Hi lenonya, so far you haven't received too many downvotes, so don't worry too much. We try to maintain a high quality on the site and people downvote in order to maintain that quality. We expect answers to be correctly formatted and easy to be read by English speakers. Your answer above is hard to read due to formatting and being partly in English and partly in Chinese. Have a look at how some of the other answers are written to get an idea of good formatting. The same applies to your first answer which was written entirely in Chinese. Thanks for your answers and I hope you stick around.
going
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-05T06:49:19.760Z
Looking back to this question after I got a notification, this answer makes the most sense to me now. 谢谢 :)
pg-robban
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-17T12:18:35.040Z
"_something like "You flatter me."_" I think "I am flattered" is probably a better translation.
Nobody
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-11T04:55:07.110Z
2014-01-11T05:08:21.130Z
2014-01-11T05:08:21.130Z
lenonya
<p>I'm doing some translations of New Practical Chinese Reader 2. In lesson 17, there's a dialog between two people, and 不客气 appears as a reply to compliments rather than someone saying 谢谢。Is it supposed to be some kind of joke? I have left it as "don't be polite" in my translation for now.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/D6zIU.png" alt="enter image description here"></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-31T05:44:14.953Z
It is something like saying "you are welcome" in English.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-31T08:05:15.287Z
好奇怪啊 一般我们不这么说 不客气 (⊙o⊙)… 还是我的中文下降了？ 嘿嘿 但是我是中国人啊
Hasoffer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-11T23:00:25.170Z
Thank you for the explanations. So basically the french expression 'de rien' make more sens as a translation to 不客气.
user36718
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-12T02:28:04.793Z
不客气 usually is short for 不用客气... That usage appears to be very odd to me.
fat penguin
<translation><meaning-in-context>
How can I translate 不客气 here?
# How can I translate 不客气 here?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-30)

I'm doing some translations of New Practical Chinese Reader 2. In lesson 17, there's a dialog between two people, and 不客气 appears as a reply to compliments rather than someone saying 谢谢。Is it supposed to be some kind of joke? I have left it as "don't be polite" in my translation for now.

Thanks in advance.

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/D6zIU.png)

**Tags:** translation, meaning-in-context

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It is something like saying "you are welcome" in English.  
> **username_2**: 好奇怪啊 一般我们不这么说 不客气 (⊙o⊙)… 还是我的中文下降了？ 嘿嘿 但是我是中国人啊  
> **username_3**: Thank you for the explanations. So basically the french expression 'de rien' make more sens as a translation to 不客气.  
> **username_4**: 不客气 usually is short for 不用客气... That usage appears to be very odd to me.  

---

## 7 answers

### Answer by username_13 on 2014-01-11. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

I don't think the accepted answer is approriate given the circumstance of conversation.
这个相声里的“不客气”，是“过奖”的意思：“您过奖了”,或者“不敢当”，something like "You flatter me." 所以到最后一句，就抖出包袱了：说他表快一个小时，仍用了"You flattered me." 显然不合适。

> **Comments:**
> **username_13**: I would like to know the reason for the downvotes.  And I would also like to know the reason why all of my answers get downvotes within only 20 seconds.  
> **username_14**: Hi username_13, so far you haven't received too many downvotes, so don't worry too much. We try to maintain a high quality on the site and people downvote in order to maintain that quality. We expect answers to be correctly formatted and easy to be read by English speakers. Your answer above is hard to read due to formatting and being partly in English and partly in Chinese. Have a look at how some of the other answers are written to get an idea of good formatting. The same applies to your first answer which was written entirely in Chinese. Thanks for your answers and I hope you stick around.  
> **username_0**: Looking back to this question after I got a notification, this answer makes the most sense to me now. 谢谢 :)  
> **username_15**: "_something like "You flatter me."_" I think "I am flattered" is probably a better translation.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-12-30. Score: 9

[不客气](http://baike.baidu.com/view/1791625.htm) is a polite way of acknowledging someone's compliment or thanks. Although it literally translates to "don't be polite", once you consider some equivalent phrases, it's meaning becomes clear.

Equivalents in Chinese:

* 不用谢 - (no need to thank [me])
* 别客气

Equivalents in English:

* You're too kind
* Don't mention it
* Not at all

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I guess "You're too kind" works for the purpose of this joke. I will mark this as the answer.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2013-12-30. Score: 5

It's a way we express humbleness. so the 不客气 is equivalent to "I'm flattered"

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Makes sense, I guess then the joke works in English as well. But why don't the authors use 哪里 instead?  
> **username_1**: This is wrong. "I'm flattered" is 过奖了.  
> **username_7**: @QuestionOverflow I feel the translation is kind of difficult. If translate it as usual, like username_5's answer, it doesn't sound like a joke (doesn't it?) Let alone some phrases with a double meaning.  
> **username_1**: @username_7, the joke has nothing to do with how you would translate a phrase. In fact, 不客气 can all be replaced with 过奖了 or 谢谢 without affecting the crosstalk at all.  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2014-01-05. Score: 3

I don't think those "不客气" are of proper usage in daily life.

Since it is from a cross-talking (相声), I think the author of this 相声 is trying to be sarcastic [otherwise, it would not be funny]: some people pretend to be humble and polite but in their heart they are actually very arrogant.

Think of someone who is complimented says "You're welcome" instead of "Thank you" or "I am flattered". Same story.


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2014-01-07. Score: 2

My money is on: 别客气 in the 5th line should be "Oh, you're just being polite". In subsequent lines it might be "No, no, no". But the use of 不客气 in succession like this sounds weird.


---

### Answer by username_10 on 2014-01-04. Score: 2

I think "don't mention it" would be the best here.

Generally "no worries" works too.


---

### Answer by username_11 on 2014-01-01. Score: 0

When you are offered something (food, drink, etc.) it's a way to express "Make yourself at home/Help yourself/etc".

> **Comments:**
> **username_12**: While that is true, this should probably be a comment and not an answer.  

---

