失礼

失禮

shīlǐ

adjective/verb #8,561

Meanings

1 to be rude; to be impolite; discourteous
2 excuse me (apologetic); I beg your pardon

Characters

to lose; to miss; to fail

courtesy; etiquette; ritual

Lose + courtesy — to fail in etiquette, to be rude or impolite.

Examples

对不起，刚才我太失礼了。

Duìbuqǐ, gāngcái wǒ tài shīlǐ le.

Sorry, I was too rude just now.

在长辈面前不能失礼。

Zài zhǎngbèi miànqián bùnéng shīlǐ.

You must not be discourteous in front of elders.

他的行为非常失礼。

Tā de xíngwéi fēicháng shīlǐ.

His behavior was very rude.

Tips

register

失礼 is formal and polite, often used in self-deprecating apologies. It sounds more refined than 没礼貌 (méi lǐmào, rude). In Japanese, 失礼 (shitsurei) is used the same way, which can help if you know Japanese.

Stroke Order

失 shī

礼 lǐ