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