Definition
哪里话 is a polite, humble expression used to respond to compliments. It literally means 'where (are) (these) words' and is equivalent to 'not at all' or 'you flatter me' in English. It is a fixed, idiomatic phrase — not a literal question — and is typically used at the start of a reply to deflect praise.
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(polite expression) not at allyou flatter me
Examples
- A:！B:哪里话，。A: Nǐ de Hànyǔ shuō de zhēn hǎo! B: nǎ, wǒ hái chà de yuǎn ne.A: Your Chinese is really good! B: Not at all, I still have a long way to go.
- A:！B:哪里话，。A: Nǐ zuò de cài tài hǎochī le! B: nǎ, nǐ guòjiǎng le.A: The dish you made is delicious! B: You flatter me, you're too kind.
- A:！B:哪里话，。A: Nǐ zhēn shì ge tiāncái! B: nǎ, wǒ zhǐshì yùnqì hǎo.A: You're a genius! B: Not at all, I just got lucky.
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