“Shut up” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
Shut up
“Shut up” in Chinese is 闭嘴, bì zuǐ — roughly “bee dzway”. Word for word it is “close mouth”, and it is every bit as rude as the English: you can say it to a friend who is teasing you, but said to a stranger or someone older, it starts a fight.
What “bi zui” means
- 闭bìto close (the eyes, the mouth)
- 嘴zuǐmouth
闭 is “to close”, but only for the eyes and the mouth: 闭眼 bì yǎn is “close your eyes”. A door is closed with another verb, 关 guān. 嘴 is “mouth”. The tones go down and then down-and-up: bì is short and falling, like a firm “No!”, and zuǐ dips low before it rises. The z is not the English “z”: it is “dz”, as in “adze”.
Softer ways to ask for quiet
Most of the time you want something politer than 闭嘴. These are what people actually say:
- 安静ānjìngquiet; “quiet, please!” said on its own
- 别说了biéshuōlestop talking, enough
- 请安静qǐngānjìngplease be quiet
- 小声点xiǎoshēngdiǎnkeep it down, a bit quieter
安静 means “quiet, calm”: a teacher says 安静！ to a class, a sign in a hospital says 请安静. 别说了 is literally “don’t say any more”, the everyday “enough, stop it”. 小声点 asks to lower the voice rather than stop, which is what you say in a cinema or on a train.
- 别说了，马上行动。biéshuōle,mǎshàngxíngdòngstop talking, let’s act now
- 在图书馆要小声说话，不要影响他人。zàitúshūguǎnyàoxiǎoshēngshuōhuà,búyàoyǐngxiǎngtārénin the library, speak quietly and don’t disturb others
- 听了他的话，教室里顿时安静了下来。tīngletādehuà,jiàoshìlidùnshíānjìnglexiàláiafter his words the classroom went quiet at once
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “shut up” in Chinese?
“Shut up” in Chinese is 闭嘴, in pinyin bì zuǐ.
How do you pronounce 闭嘴?
闭嘴 is read bì zuǐ. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “shut up” in Chinese characters?
闭嘴 is 2 characters. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 闭嘴 mean?
闭嘴 (bì zuǐ) means “shut up”.
Say it right the first time
In the course every phrase comes up in a dialogue: you listen to a native speaker, repeat and see whether your tones were right. Free during the beta.
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