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How to effectively express complaints in Chinese

Complaining and Apologizing in Chinese: Essential Phrases for Learners: How to effectively express complaints in Chinese
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To effectively express complaints in Chinese, one can use various phrases and expressions depending on the context and tone (formal or casual). Here are key ways to express complaints:

Common Complaint Verbs

  • 抱怨 (bàoyuàn): To complain with a sense of resentment; expressing displeasure.
  • 埋怨 (máiyuàn): Similar to 抱怨 but more enduring resentment.
  • 发牢骚 (fā láosāo): To grumble or complain in a more emotional way.
  • 投诉 (tóusù): To file a formal complaint, often to authorities or management.
  • 告状 (gàozhuàng): Similar to 投诉 but can imply tattling, often childish tone.
  • 吐槽 (tǔcáo): Colloquial and playful way to criticize or complain.

Phrases for Habitual Complaints

  • Use 老是 (lǎoshì) before the verb to express habitual complaining or complaints about repeated issues, e.g., 他老是抱怨工作太多。 (Tā lǎoshì bàoyuàn gōngzuò tài duō.) — He is always complaining about having too much work.
  • 可以用总是 (zǒngshì) 作为较为中性的“总是”表达，如你总是迟到 (Nǐ zǒngshì chídào) — You are always late.

Polite Complaint Expressions

  • 对不起，打扰一下 (Duìbuqǐ, dǎrǎo yíxià): Sorry to bother you…
  • 请多多包涵 (Qǐng duōduō bāohan): Please bear with me/us, used when asking for patience or apologizing for inconvenience.
  • 很抱歉打扰您 (Hěn bàoqiàn dǎrǎo nín): Sorry to disturb you.
  • 若有错误，还请您多多包涵 (Ruò yǒu cuòwù, hái qǐng nín duōduō bāohan): Please forgive us if there are any mistakes.

Examples of Complaint Sentences

  • 顾客抱怨食物不好吃。 (Gùkè bàoyuàn shíwù bù hǎochī) — The customer complains the food is not good.
  • 他发牢骚工作压力太大。 (Tā fā láosāo gōngzuò yālì tài dà) — He complains a lot about work pressure.
  • 我不想抱怨，但是服务太差了。 (Wǒ bù xiǎng bàoyuàn, dànshì fúwù tài chà le) — I don’t want to complain, but the service is very bad.
  • 可以说“请您多多包涵”来表达礼貌。 (Kěyǐ shuō “qǐng nín duōduō bāohan” lái biǎodá lǐmào) — You can say this phrase to express politeness.

These phrases help express dissatisfaction effectively while adapting to different social contexts, whether casual or formal, and can be softened for politeness or sharpened for stronger complaints as needed.

References

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