Definition
谦让 describes the polite act of declining or deferring something (a seat, a gift, an honor, etc.) to show modesty and respect. It's deeply tied to Chinese social etiquette — you often 谦让 even when you'd like to accept, because the gesture itself is more important than the item. It differs from simply 'declining' (拒绝) because 谦让 implies you're yielding out of consideration for the other person's face, not out of refusal. Common situations: 谦让座位 (offer your seat), 谦让奖金 (decline a bonus), 谦让荣誉 (defer an honor).
v.
to modestly decline or defer (something) out of politenessto make a polite gesture of yielding
Examples
- 谦让，。Tā yìzhí zài qiān ràng, bù kěn jiēshòu zhège jiǎng.He kept modestly declining and wouldn't accept this award.
- 谦让，。Chīfàn shí dàjiā hùxiāng qiān ràng zuòwèi, zuìhòu shuí yě méi zuò zhǔwèi.During the meal everyone was politely offering seats to each other, and in the end no one sat at the head of the table.
- ，谦让。Miànduì zhè fèn lǐwù, tā qiān ràng le bàntiān cái shōuxià.Faced with this gift, she modestly declined for a long while before finally accepting it.
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