不敢当

不敢當
bùgǎndāng
phrase HSK 5 #33,726

Meanings

  1. 1 I don't deserve such praise
  2. 2 you flatter me

Characters

Literally 'dare not accept/deserve' - a humble response to praise

Examples

HSK 3
Bùgǎndāng, wǒ zhǐshì zuò le gāi zuò de shì.
You flatter me; I just did what I should have done.
HSK 3
Tā liánlián shuō bùgǎndāng.
He kept saying 'I don't deserve such praise.'
HSK 7-9
Nǐ tài kuājiǎng le, bùgǎndāng!
You're too kind with your praise - I don't deserve it!

Tips

culture
Chinese culture values modesty (谦虚). When complimented, saying 不敢当 shows humility. This is expected and appreciated, especially with elders or superiors.
usage
Similar humble responses include 哪里哪里 ('where, where' - meaning 'not at all') and 过奖了 ('you overpraise me').

Stroke Order

gǎn
dāng