客套

kètào

noun #26,841

Meanings

1 polite pleasantries
2 conventional courtesies
3 empty formalities

Characters

set; routine; formula

Examples

他们互相说了几句客套话就进入正题了。

Tāmen hùxiāng shuō le jǐ jù kètàohuà jiù jìnrù zhèngtí le.

They exchanged a few pleasantries and then got to the point.

别客套了，快坐下来吃饭吧！

Bié kètào le, kuài zuòxià lái chīfàn ba!

Stop with the formalities — come sit down and eat!

Tips

usage

客套 can function as a noun (pleasantries) or verb (to exchange pleasantries). 客套话 is the phrase 'polite small talk'. Saying 别客套 tells someone to drop the formalities and be natural.

Stroke Order

客 kè

套 tào