不客气
you're welcome; don't mention it
bú kèqi
What does 不客气 mean?
不客气 (bú kèqi) is the standard Chinese response to 谢谢 — literally 'not polite/formal,' meaning 'no need to stand on ceremony with me.' It functions like English 'you're welcome,' but the underlying logic is different: instead of acknowledging the favor, the speaker waves off the social distance the thanks created. Two surprises for English speakers: first, native speakers respond with 不客气 far less reflexively than Americans say 'you're welcome' — a smile, a nod, or 没事 (méi shì, 'it's nothing') is often enough; second, the same word 客气 (kèqi) is also used to scold a friend who is being too polite (你太客气了 — 'you're being too formal with me'). The tone change of 不 from bù to bú before a fourth-tone syllable is automatic and written as bú.
Note: Works in every situation from shop counters to dinner tables. With strangers in formal contexts you may also hear 不用谢 (bú yòng xiè) or 没事 (méi shì); among close friends, people often say nothing at all.
Character breakdown
not; no
guest
air; manner
Memory hook: Literally 'don't act like a guest' — relax, you don't owe me formality.
Example sentences
——谢谢你！——不客气。
—Xièxie nǐ! —Bú kèqi.
—Thank you! —You're welcome.
neutral
不客气，这是小事。
Bú kèqi, zhè shì xiǎo shì.
Don't mention it, it's a small thing.
spoken
请坐，不要客气。
Qǐng zuò, bú yào kèqi.
Please sit, make yourself at home.
polite
你太客气了，下次来我家吃饭吧。
Nǐ tài kèqi le, xià cì lái wǒ jiā chī fàn ba.
You're being too polite — come eat at my place next time.
spoken
Common phrases with 不客气
Synonyms
Literally 'no need to thank.' Slightly more direct and slightly more common in mainland service contexts. 不客气 stays neutral and works anywhere; 不用谢 is interchangeable but feels marginally more casual.
Literally 'it's nothing.' Very casual brush-off, especially among friends or after small favors. Use 不客气 when you want to sound polite; 没事 when you want to sound easygoing.
Means 'it doesn't matter.' Native speakers sometimes use it to respond to thanks, but its primary use is responding to 对不起 (sorry). Don't reach for 没关系 first when someone says 谢谢.
Don't confuse 不客气 with
客气 on its own means 'polite / formal / stand on ceremony,' and is mostly used to describe someone being overly polite. 不客气 is the fixed reply phrase. 你太客气 = 'you're being too polite'; 不客气 = 'you're welcome.'
不好意思 means 'sorry / excuse me / I'm a bit embarrassed.' Beginners sometimes confuse the two because both start with 不. 不客气 answers thanks; 不好意思 apologizes or softens a request.