你先 After You in Chinese

下班xiàbān的时候de shíhou，我wǒ和hé同事tóngshì一起yìqǐ到了dàole公司gōngsī门口ménkǒu。

When we got off work, my colleague and I walked to the company entrance together.

我们wǒmen两个liǎng ge都dōu站zhàn在zài门口ménkǒu，你nǐ看看kànkan我wǒ，我wǒ看看kànkan你nǐ，谁shéi也yě不bù先xiān进去jìnqù。

We both stood at the door — I looked at him, he looked at me, and neither of us went in first.

最后zuìhòu我wǒ说shuō：“你先nǐ xiān，我wǒ不bù着急zháojí。”

Finally I said: "After you, I'm not in a hurry."

同事tóngshì说shuō谢谢xièxie，先xiān进去jìnqù了le。

My colleague said thanks and went in first.

第二天dì'èrtiān早上zǎoshang，我wǒ和hé同事tóngshì又yòu一起yìqǐ到了dàole公司gōngsī门口ménkǒu。

The next morning, my colleague and I arrived at the company entrance together again.

同事tóngshì看看kànkan我wǒ，说shuō：“你先nǐ xiān。”

My colleague looked at me and said: "After you."

我wǒ先xiān进去jìnqù了le，同事tóngshì跟gēn在zài我wǒ后面hòumiàn。

I went in first, with my colleague right behind me.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

你先nǐ xiānafter you; you go first

同事tóngshìcolleague

公司gōngsīcompany

门口ménkǒuentrance; doorway

着急zháojíin a hurry; anxious

进去jìnqùto go in

你先 (after you)

你先 politely lets someone go, take, or do something ahead of you — a small, everyday courtesy.

你先，我不着急。— After you, I'm not in a hurry.

谁也不 + verb (nobody does...)

谁也不 + verb stresses that not a single person acts — everyone is holding back at the same time.

谁也不先进去。— Neither of us went in first.

你 V, 我 V (mirrored actions)

Repeating the same verb with 你 and 我 in turn shows two people doing the same thing back and forth, often out of hesitation.

你看看我，我看看你。— I looked at him, he looked at me.

1. What happens when the narrator and his colleague reach the door at the same time?

2. What does the narrator say to let his colleague go first?

3. What happens the next morning?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.