duì对bu不qǐ起(Mandarin)(Cantonese)
對不起 (Traditional: 對不起)
Dictionary
I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon/to let (sb) down; to disappoint
Examples
对不起，我踩到你的脚了。
Duì bu qǐ, wǒ cǎi dào nǐ de jiǎo le.
→ I'm sorry, I stepped on your foot.
对不起，请问地铁站怎么走？
Duì bu qǐ, qǐng wèn dì tiě zhàn zěn me zǒu?
→ Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the subway station?
对不起，我没听清，你能再说一遍吗？
Duì bu qǐ, wǒ méi tīng qīng, nǐ néng zài shuō yī biàn ma?
→ I beg your pardon, I didn't hear you clearly. Could you say it again?
这次没考好，我觉得对不起妈妈。
Zhè cì méi kǎo hǎo, wǒ jué de duì bu qǐ mā ma.
→ I didn't do well on the exam this time, and I feel I've let my mom down.
Did You Know?
Word Formation
对 means 'toward', 不 means 'not', and 起 means 'rise', literally 'cannot face' meaning 'sorry'.
Usage Tips
对不起 is used for apologies, but for minor inconveniences, 不好意思 (bù hǎo yìsi) is more casual.