The short version: most Chinese compliments use one of three frames: 真 + adjective (你真厉害, you're amazing), 好 + adjective (好漂亮, so pretty) or 太 + adjective + 了 (太好吃了, this is so good). For a skill, say 你中文说得真好. To reply, 谢谢 is perfectly natural; for a modest answer, 没有没有 or 过奖了.
Textbooks teach one compliment, 你很漂亮, and one reply, 哪里哪里. Both are correct, and both sound a little stiff. Real compliments in Chinese are shorter, more emotional and built from a few simple frames you can attach to almost any adjective.
Three frames that turn any adjective into a compliment
Plain 很 + adjective is grammatically correct, but 很 is often just the link that makes an adjective work as a sentence, so 你很漂亮 can sound like a neutral statement. 真, 好 and 太…了 carry the feeling.
Looks
帅 shuài means handsome, but also cool or stylish, and it is used about actions too: 这个球进得太帅了, “that goal was so cool”. 气质 qìzhì is hard to translate: it means presence, poise or class, and 有气质 is one of the highest compliments you can give about how someone carries themselves. Online you will also see 颜值高 yánzhí gāo, literally “high face value”, meaning good-looking.
Clothes and style
好看 hǎokàn, literally “good to look at”, works for people, clothes, films and anything else that looks nice, which makes it the safest all-purpose word in this guide.
Skills: the 得 pattern
To praise how someone does something, Chinese puts the comment after the verb with 得 de: verb + 得 + 真好. If there is an object, say it first: 你中文说得真好, “your Chinese, you speak it really well”. The three particles pronounced de are untangled in 的 vs 得 vs 地.
Casual praise between friends
牛 niú (literally “ox”) means awesome in casual speech, so keep it for friends. 靠谱 kàopǔ means reliable or sensible, and it is high praise for a person, a plan or a restaurant recommendation.
Food: the compliment every host is waiting for
手艺 shǒuyì means craftsmanship or cooking skill. Praising it shows you noticed the effort, not just the taste.
How to reply to a compliment
The famous 哪里哪里 is real, but it is no longer the default. Today the most common reply, especially among younger people, is simply 谢谢. These are all safe:
Thank you. Accepting a compliment is natural and polite in modern Chinese.
No, no. A modest, everyday reply, often with a laugh.
You flatter me. Polite and slightly formal; good with someone older or at work.
I still have a long way to go. The classic reply when someone praises your Chinese.
Literally “where, where?”. The textbook reply. It still works, but it can sound old-fashioned, and many people say it half as a joke.
Compliments that can backfire
Older relatives sometimes say this as a sign of care, meaning you look healthy and well fed. As a learner, do not give it: comments on someone's body are risky in any language. Praise their style or energy instead: 你气色真好 nǐ qìsè zhēn hǎo, “you look really well”.
Check yourself
Pick the most natural option.
太…了 is the strongest, most enthusiastic frame.
For how someone does something: verb + 得 + comment.
还差得远呢: I still have a long way to go.
Outside compliments, 厉害 means severe.
很适合你 means it suits you.
A simple 谢谢 is the most common reply today.
Say it the way native speakers do
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Learn Chinese with Hanzijo - FreeQuick reference
- Three frames
- 真 + adj (你真厉害) · 好 + adj (好漂亮) · 太 + adj + 了 (太好吃了). 很 + adj is plainer.
- Looks
- 漂亮, 好看, 帅, 可爱, 你皮肤真好, 很有气质, 颜值高 (internet).
- Style
- 这件衣服很适合你 · 你穿这个真好看.
- Skills
- Verb + 得 + comment: 你中文说得真好, 你唱得真好. 你真厉害.
- Casual
- 太牛了, 学霸, 好专业, 靠谱.
- Food
- 太好吃了 · 你手艺真好.
- Replies
- 谢谢 · 没有没有 · 过奖了 · 还差得远呢 (skills) · 哪里哪里 (classic, now often playful).
- Avoid
- Comments on weight such as 你胖了.
Frequently asked questions
How do you compliment someone in Chinese?
Use 真, 好 or 太…了 with an adjective: 你真厉害 (you're amazing), 好漂亮 (so pretty), 太好吃了 (this is so delicious). For a skill, use the 得 pattern: 你中文说得真好 (you speak Chinese really well).
How do you respond to a compliment in Chinese?
谢谢 is natural and common today. For a modest reply, say 没有没有 (no, no), 过奖了 (you flatter me) or, for skills, 还差得远呢 (I still have a long way to go). 哪里哪里 is the classic textbook reply, but it can sound old-fashioned or playful.
What does 厉害 mean?
As a compliment, 厉害 (lìhai) means impressive, amazing or very capable: 你真厉害！ In other sentences it means severe or intense: 病得很厉害 means seriously ill.
Is 哪里哪里 still used?
Yes, but less than textbooks suggest. Many people, especially younger speakers, simply say 谢谢 or 没有没有, and 哪里哪里 is often said with a smile, half as a joke.
How do you say it suits you in Chinese?
Say 这件衣服很适合你 (this piece of clothing really suits you) or, more casually, 很适合你！ 你穿这个真好看 (you look great in this) is also common.
- 中国社会科学院语言研究所, 《现代汉语词典》 (第7版): the entries for 厉害, 过奖, 哪里 and 靠谱.
- 吕叔湘 (Lü Shuxiang), 《现代汉语八百词》: the entries for 真, 好, 太 and the complement with 得.
- 国际中文教育中文水平等级标准 (GF 0025-2021): the official standard behind the new HSK levels.