# 對不起
## Chinese

* This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): duìbùqǐ
    (Zhuyin): ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧˇ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): deoi$^3$ bat$^1$ hei$^2$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): tui-put-hí
    (Meixian, Guangdong): dui$^4$ bud$^5$ hi$^3$
* Jin (Wiktionary): dui$^3$ beh$^4$ qi$^2$
* Eastern Min (BUC): dó̤i-*bók-kī
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tùi-put-khí
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: duìbùqǐ → duìbuqǐ (toneless variant)
*** Zhuyin: ㄉㄨㄟˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄑㄧˇ → ㄉㄨㄟˋ ˙ㄅㄨ ㄑㄧˇ (toneless variant)
*** Tongyong Pinyin: duèibůcǐ
*** Wade–Giles: tui$^4$-pu$^5$-chʻi$^3$
*** Yale: dwèi-bu-chǐ
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dueybuchii
*** Palladius: дуйбуци (dujbuci)
*** Sinological IPA : /tu̯eɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ → /tu̯eɪ̯⁵¹ b̥u¹ t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: deoi$^3$ bat$^1$ hei$^2$
*** Yale: deui bāt héi
*** Cantonese Pinyin: doey$^3$ bat$^7$ hei$^2$
*** Guangdong Romanization: dêu$^3$ bed$^1$ héi$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /tɵy̯³³ pɐt̚⁵ hei̯³⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tui-put-hí
*** Hakka Romanization System: dui bud$^ˋ$ hi$^ˋ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: dui$^4$ bud$^5$ hi$^3$
*** Sinological IPA: /tu̯i⁵⁵ put̚² hi³¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: dui$^4$ bud$^5$ hi$^3$
*** Sinological IPA: /tuɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ put̚¹ hi³¹/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: dui$^3$ beh$^4$ qi$^2$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style, no sandhi): /tuei⁴⁵ pəʔ² t͡ɕʰi⁵³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: dó̤i-*bók-kī
*** Sinological IPA : /tøy²¹³⁻²¹ puʔ²⁴⁻³⁵ kʰi³³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tùi-put-khí
*** Tâi-lô: tuì-put-khí
*** Phofsit Daibuun: duie'putqie
*** IPA (Xiamen): /tui²¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁴ kʰi⁵³/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /tui⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ put̚⁵⁻²⁴ kʰi⁵⁵⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /tui²¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁵ kʰi⁵³/
*** IPA (Taipei): /tui¹¹⁻⁵³ put̚³²⁻⁴ kʰi⁵³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /tui²¹⁻⁴¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ kʰi⁴¹/

### Interjection

對不起
* sorry; excuse me
       Duìbùqǐ, wǒmen zhǐ shōu xiànjīn. [Pinyin]
       Sorry. We only accept cash.
    From: 2010: “对不起！真的对不起！”
    Duìbùqǐ! Zhēnde duìbùqǐ! Duìyú wǒ láishuō, wǒ de tàidù fēicháng míngquè, wǒ juébù tǎnhù wǒ de háizǐ! [Pinyin]
    I am sorry. I am really sorry. Personally my attitude (towards this incident) is very clear: I will never give unprincipled protection to my child.

#### Usage notes

* (Min Nan) 對不起 is rarely used as an interjection meaning "I'm sorry". Use 歹勢／歹势 (phái-sè) or 失禮／失礼 (sit-lé) instead.

#### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 對不起 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 對不起 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 對不起 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Chengde | 對不起 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Harbin | 對不起 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Changchun | 對不起 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Jilin | 對不住 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Shenyang | 對不起 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Malaysia | 對不起 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 對不起 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Cangzhou | 對不起 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Baoding | 對不起 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Shijiazhuang | 對不住 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Xingtai | 對不住 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 對不起, 對不住 |
| Jiaoliao Mandarin | Dalian | 對不起 |
| Jiaoliao Mandarin | Yantai | 對不起 |
| Jiaoliao Mandarin | Qingdao | 對不起, 對不住 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Luoyang | 對不住 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Zhumadian | 對不住 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Zhoukou | 對不住 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Nanyang | 對不起, 對不住 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Linyi | 對不起, 對不住 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Wanrong | 對不起, 不好意思 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Zhengzhou | 對不起, 外氣 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Kaifeng | 對不住 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 對不起, 對不住 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xianyang | 對不起 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Yinchuan | 擔持 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Lanzhou | 對不起 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Ürümqi | 對不起 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 對不起 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chongqing | 對不起, 對不住, 不好意思, 抱歉 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 對不起 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Lhasa | 對不起 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guiyang | 對不起 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Kunming | 不好意思 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Liuzhou | 對沒起, 沒好意思 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nanjing | 對不起 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 對不起 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Taizhou | 對不起 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nantong | 對不起 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 對不住 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 對唔住 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 對唔住, sorry, sor informal |
| Cantonese | Macau | 對唔住 |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 對唔住 |
| Cantonese | Nanning | 對冇住 |
| Cantonese | Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 對唔住 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 對唔住 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 不好得的 |
| Gan | Yichun | 對不住 |
| Gan | Ji'an | 難為你 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 對唔住 |
| Hakka | Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua) | 唔好意思 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 失禮, 敗勢, 斯里麻生 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 失禮, 壞勢, 斯里麻生 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 失禮, 敗勢, 斯里麻生 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 失禮, 敗勢, 歪勢, 斯里麻生 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 失禮, 敗勢, 斯里麻生 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 失禮, 歹勢, 斯里麻生 |
| Hakka | Singapore (Dabu) | 敗勢 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 對不起 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 對伓住 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 對不住 |
| Eastern Min | Matsu | 對不住 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 歹勢, 對不住, 失禮 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 歹勢, 對不住 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 䆀勢, 對不住 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 失禮, 歹勢 |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 失禮 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 失禮, 歹勢 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 失禮 |
| Southern Min | Changhua (Lukang) | 失禮, 歹勢 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 失禮 |
| Southern Min | Taichung (Wuqi) | 失禮 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 失禮, 歹勢 |
| Southern Min | Taitung | 歹勢 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 失禮 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 失禮 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 失禮 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 歹勢, sorry |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 歹勢, 對毋住, sorry |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 歹勢, 對不住 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 對唔住 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 對唔住 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 對唔住, 歹勢 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 勿好意思, 對勿起 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Xinzhuang, Minhang) | 對勿起 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Songjiang) | 對勿起 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chuansha, Pudong) | 對勿起 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Jiading) | 對勿起 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chongming) | 對勿住 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 對弗起 |
| Wu | Wuxi | 對弗住 |
| Wu | Kunshan | 對弗起 |
| Wu | Taicang | 抱歉 |
| Wu | Zhangjiagang | 對弗起 |
| Wu | Haining (Xiashi) | 對勿住 |
| Wu | Changzhou | 對勿起 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 對不起 |
| Wu | Tonglu | 對勿住 |
| Wu | Shaoxing | 對勿住 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 交代勿過, 勿好意思 |
| Wu | Yuyao | 對勿住, 交代勿過 |
| Wu | Cixi | 交代弗過 |
| Wu | Taizhou (Jiaojiang) | 對弗住 |
| Wu | Linhai | 對弗住 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 對否起 |
| Wu | Rui'an | 對否起 |
| Wu | Jinhua | 對弗住, 弗好意思 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 對不住 |
| Xiang | Loudi | 對不住 |
* 借光 (jièguāng), (neologism, slang) 騷凹瑞／骚凹瑞 (sāo'āoruì)

### Verb

對不起
* to cause someone embarrassment; to screw someone over; to do something to a person that would demand an apology later on; to let down
    From: 2010: 周苏红：遇困难办法不多 女排输球对不起观众
    Duìyú jīntiān de biǎoxiàn, Zhōu Sūhóng zhíyán, xiànzài de xīnqíng hé 06 nián yīyàng nánshòu, bǐsài zhōng zhōngguó duì yùdào kùnnán bànfǎ bù duō, shūqiú duìbùqǐ guānzhòng. [Pinyin]
    Regarding today's performance, Zhou Suhong confessed that her feeling now was as bad as (the same time in) 2006. The Chinese team did not have much strategy to deal with problems in the game, and losing the game makes the team feel embarrassed to face the audience.

#### Synonyms

* 對不住／对不住 (duìbùzhù)
* 虧／亏 (kuī)
* 虧待／亏待 (kuīdài)
* 虧負／亏负 (kuīfù)
* 辜負／辜负 (gūfù)

#### Antonyms

* 對得住／对得住 (duìdezhù)
* 對得起／对得起 (duìdeqǐ)