客套话

客套話
kètàohuà
noun #25,826

Meanings

  1. 1 polite small talk
  2. 2 conventional pleasantries
  3. 3 formulaic courtesies

Examples

Tā shuō le jǐ jù kètào huà jiù zhíjiē qiē rù zhèng tí.
He said a few pleasantries and then got straight to the point.
Bié shuō kètào huà le, yǒu shénme jiù zhí shuō ba.
Stop with the formalities — just say what you mean.

Tips

culture
客套话 plays an important role in Chinese social interaction. Opening greetings like ?(Have you eaten?) are classic examples — they are not literal enquiries but social glue. Refusing to exchange them can seem abrupt or rude.

Stroke Order

tào
huà