谦语

謙語
qiānyǔ
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 humble expression
  2. 2 self-deprecating term

Examples

"Zàixià" shì gǔdài chángyòng de qiānyǔ.
'Zaixia' is a humble expression commonly used in ancient times.
Zhōngwén lǐ yǒu hěn duō qiānyǔ hé jìngyǔ.
Chinese has many humble and honorific expressions.

Tips

culture
Paired concept with 敬语 (jìngyǔ, honorific expressions). Classical examples: 鄙人 (bǐrén, this lowly one), (zhuōzuò, my clumsy work), 寒舍 (hánshè, my humble home). Using these correctly signals classical literacy in formal writing.
memory
(qiān, modest/humble) + (yǔ, words) — literally 'humble words.'

Stroke Order

qiān