How to say “Please say it again” in Chinese
“Please say it again” in Chinese is 请再说一遍。, written in pinyin as Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.
请再说一遍。
Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn.
Please say it again.
Word by word
What each part of 请再说一遍。 actually means.
- 请qǐngplease
- 再zàiagain
- 说shuōto speak
- 一遍yí biànone time through
When you use it
- Say it when someone has spoken and you caught the sound but not the meaning. This sentence asks them to repeat exactly the same thing rather than to explain it differently.
- It is the polite default with anyone you have just met, and it works on the phone as well as face to face, where a bare 什么？ would sound abrupt.
Use 请再说一遍。 in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.
Other ways people say it
The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.
请再说一次。
Qǐng zài shuō yí cì
Please say it one more time.
次 counts any occurrence while 遍 counts a run from start to finish, which is why 遍 fits speech better.
没听清，再说一遍。
Méi tīng qīng, zài shuō yí biàn
I didn't catch that, say it again.
Leading with 没听清 explains why you are asking, which softens the request.
不好意思，再说一遍好吗？
Bù hǎoyìsi, zài shuō yí biàn hǎo ma?
Sorry, could you say that again?
不好意思 in front and 好吗 at the end makes this the most polite version of the request.
What usually trips people up
- 遍 cannot count anything that happens in time. 三遍 is three readings of the same thing from start to finish, while three separate trips to a shop are 三次.
- 再 and 又 both look like "again" but they are not interchangeable. 再说一遍 asks for the next repetition, while 又说一遍 describes someone repeating themselves.
- Do not shorten it to 什么？ outside your own circle. Among friends it is fine, but with anyone else it reads as surprise or irritation rather than a request.
What you might hear back
- 好的，我再说一遍。Hǎo de, wǒ zài shuō yí biànSure, I'll say it again.
- 我换个说法。Wǒ huàn ge shuōfaLet me put it another way.
- 你听得懂吗？Nǐ tīng de dǒng ma?Can you understand?
Common questions
- How do you say "Please say it again" in Chinese?
- "Please say it again" in Chinese is 请再说一遍。 — written in pinyin as Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn. It is an everyday phrase you would use in China.
- What does 请再说一遍。 mean in Chinese?
- 请再说一遍。 (Qǐng zài shuō yí biàn) means "Please say it again". Broken down word by word: 请 (qǐng) means "please"; 再 (zài) means "again"; 说 (shuō) means "to speak"; 一遍 (yí biàn) means "one time through".
- When would you use "Please say it again" in Chinese?
- Say it when someone has spoken and you caught the sound but not the meaning. This sentence asks them to repeat exactly the same thing rather than to explain it differently. It is the polite default with anyone you have just met, and it works on the phone as well as face to face, where a bare 什么？ would sound abrupt.
Where you'll use it
请再说一遍。 comes up in these situations, in this order.
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