Why These Two Little Phrases Do Heavy Lifting
謝謝 is the most portable word pair in Mandarin. It works at cash registers, dinner tables, office doors, and midnight group chats. Its partner 不客氣 softens the social landing—“no need to be polite”—and tells the other person the favor sits lightly. Mastering the baseline forms is easy; sounding natural comes from choosing the right variation for the moment and replying with the right shade of warmth.
The Core Forms
謝謝。 xièxie — Thank you.
The second syllable is often light and unstressed; many speakers pronounce it closer to “xiè‧xie.”
謝謝你。 xièxie nǐ — Thank you (to you).
Adds a touch of personal warmth.
謝謝您。 xièxie nín — Thank you (polite/respectful).
Good for elders, teachers, customers, interviewers.
不客氣。 bú kèqi — You’re welcome.
Literally “don’t be polite.” Neutral, works in almost any setting.
不用客氣。 bú yòng kèqi — No need to be polite / You’re welcome.
A shade softer than 不客氣.
別客氣。 bié kèqi — Don’t be polite (make yourself at home).
Friendly, welcoming; common when hosting.
不會。 bú huì — You’re welcome.
Everyday Taiwan usage. Sounds perfectly natural in shops and casual exchanges.
Turning the Dial: Stronger Thanks
非常感謝。 fēicháng gǎnxiè — Thank you very much.
真的很謝謝你。 zhēn de hěn xièxie nǐ — I really appreciate it.
太謝謝你了。 tài xièxie nǐ le — Thank you so much.
感激不盡。 gǎnjī bú jìn — Deeply grateful (formal/written).
多謝。 duōxiè — Thanks (concise; seen in writing and in some regions).
謝啦。/ 謝了。 xiè la / xiè le — Thanks! (casual).
When “Thank You” Isn’t Quite The Right Tool
Mandarin often prefers to acknowledge effort, trouble, or hardship directly. These land more native than repeating “thanks” five times.
辛苦了。 xīnkǔ le — You’ve worked hard / Thanks for the hard work.
麻煩你了。 máfan nǐ le — Sorry to trouble you / Thanks for doing that.
不好意思，麻煩你。 bù hǎoyìsi, máfan nǐ — Sorry to trouble you (before a request).
幫大忙了。 bāng dà máng le — You really helped a lot.
承你貴言。 chéng nǐ guì yán — I’ll take your good words (formal, after well-wishes).
These read as gratitude tuned to context: effort (辛苦了), inconvenience (麻煩你了), or impact (幫大忙了).
Natural Replies Beyond “You’re Welcome”
應該的。 yīnggāi de — It’s what I should do.
沒問題。 méi wèntí — No problem.
小事。/ 小意思。 xiǎo shì / xiǎo yìsi — It’s nothing.
別客氣。 bié kèqi — Don’t mention it.
不會。 bú huì — You’re welcome (Taiwan).
沒關係。 méi guānxi — No worries.
哪裡哪裡。 nǎlǐ nǎlǐ — Not at all (modest response, often to praise).
不敢當。 bù gǎn dāng — I’m flattered / I don’t deserve this (formal humility).
Mini-Scenes That Mirror Real Life
Café Counter
A：謝謝。
A: Xièxie.
B：不會。
B: Bú huì.
Office Favor
A：真的很謝謝你，臨時救了我。
A: Zhēn de hěn xièxie nǐ, línshí jiù le wǒ.
B：小事啦，下次換你幫我。
B: Xiǎo shì la, xià cì huàn nǐ bāng wǒ.
Delivery Hand-off
A：麻煩你了，謝謝。
A: Máfan nǐ le, xièxie.
B：不客氣，慢用。
B: Bú kèqi, màn yòng.
After A Long Meeting
A：大家辛苦了，真的感謝。
A: Dàjiā xīnkǔ le, zhēn de gǎnxiè.
B：應該的，明天再接再厲。
B: Yīnggāi de, míngtiān zài jiē zài lì.
Receiving A Compliment
A：你的簡報做得很好，謝謝你的努力。
A: Nǐ de jiǎnbào zuò de hěn hǎo, xièxie nǐ de nǔlì.
B：哪裡哪裡，還要多學。
B: Nǎlǐ nǎlǐ, hái yào duō xué.
Politeness, Register, And Tiny Words That Change Everything
Switching 你 → 您 instantly raises respect: 謝謝您 works with elders, teachers, clients. Particles color the mood:
喔/哦 (ō) softens; 啦 (la) relaxes; 囉 (luō) sounds like a gentle wrap-up.
Examples: 謝謝喔。 xièxie ō — Thanks, appreciated.
別客氣啦。 bié kèqi la — No worries at all.
In writing (emails, notes, slides), longer forms read smoother: 非常感謝各位的協助。 fēicháng gǎnxiè gèwèi de xiézhù — Many thanks for everyone’s help.
When Gratitude Leads Or Follows
Before a request: 不好意思，麻煩你幫我看一下。 bù hǎoyìsi, máfan nǐ bāng wǒ kàn yíxià.
After it’s done: 麻煩你了，謝謝。 máfan nǐ le, xièxie.
After real effort: 辛苦你了，真的幫大忙。 xīnkǔ nǐ le, zhēn de bāng dà máng.
The sequencing signals awareness of burden, which often matters more than the raw word “thanks.”
Email, Chat, And Mic-Safe Lines
謝謝您的來信，明天前回覆您。
Xièxie nín de láixìn, míngtiān qián huífù nín.
Thank you for your email; I’ll reply before tomorrow.
先在這裡說聲謝謝，細節見附件。
Xiān zài zhèlǐ shuō shēng xièxie, xìjié jiàn fùjiàn.
A quick thank-you here; details in the attachment.
感謝各位的參與，我們下次見。
Gǎnxiè gèwèi de cānyǔ, wǒmen xià cì jiàn.
Thanks for participating; see you next time.
Common Learner Pitfalls And Smooth Fixes
Using 不客氣 in every reply can sound stiff among friends; rotate 不會／沒問題／小事 for casual settings. Saying only 謝謝 after someone worked hard misses the nuance—add 辛苦了 to recognize effort. Starting a request with “thanks” in English style can feel abrupt in Mandarin; add 不好意思 or 麻煩你 to prepare the ground.
Practice Drills（Copy-Ready）
A → B
A：謝謝你今天的幫忙。
A: Xièxie nǐ jīntiān de bāngmáng.
B：不客氣，應該的。
B: Bú kèqi, yīnggāi de.
Swap the intensity
1）太謝謝你了！
Tài xièxie nǐ le!
2）非常感謝您的協助。
Fēicháng gǎnxiè nín de xiézhù.
3）謝啦，下次請你喝咖啡。
Xiè la, xià cì qǐng nǐ hē kāfēi.
Before vs. after a favor
- 不好意思，麻煩你幫我列印一下。
Bù hǎoyìsi, máfan nǐ bāng wǒ lièyìn yíxià. - 麻煩你了，真的謝謝。
Máfan nǐ le, zhēn de xièxie.
Reply palette
- 不會。Bú huì.
- 別客氣。Bié kèqi.
- 小事。Xiǎo shì.
- 沒問題。Méi wèntí.
- 應該的。Yīnggāi de.
Quick Reference Table
| Purpose | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Tone/Context |
| Thank you | 謝謝／謝謝你／謝謝您 | xièxie / xièxie nǐ / xièxie nín | Neutral → warmer → respectful |
| Strong thanks | 非常感謝／太謝謝你了 | fēicháng gǎnxiè / tài xièxie nǐ le | Formal or heartfelt |
| Casual thanks | 謝啦／謝了／多謝 | xiè la / xiè le / duōxiè | Friendly, brief |
| Acknowledge effort | 辛苦了／幫大忙了 | xīnkǔ le / bāng dà máng le | Effort or big help |
| Before/after request | 不好意思，麻煩你…／麻煩你了 | bù hǎoyìsi, máfan nǐ… / máfan nǐ le | Polite setup / wrap |
| You’re welcome (neutral) | 不客氣／不用客氣 | bú kèqi / bú yòng kèqi | Default replies |
| You’re welcome (Taiwan) | 不會 | bú huì | Very common in Taiwan |
| Downplay it | 小事／小意思／沒問題 | xiǎo shì / xiǎo yìsi / méi wèntí | Casual reassurance |
| To praise humbly | 哪裡哪裡／不敢當 | nǎlǐ nǎlǐ / bù gǎn dāng | Modest response to thanks/praise |
Yak Pocket Rule For Thanks
Match the thanks to the situation, not the dictionary entry. 謝謝 is the anchor; scale it up with 非常感謝 when stakes are high, pivot to 辛苦了 or 麻煩你了 when effort or trouble is the point, and answer with 不客氣／不會／小事 to keep the social weight light. Do that, and every “thank you” lands exactly where it should—clear, kind, and alive to the moment.