Many foreigners know how to express “excuse me” in Chinese as: “duìbùqǐ (对不起),” so they often use it in various situations, including when passing by others. However, the word “láojià (劳驾)” is actually more commonly used in spoken Chinese. You can use “láojià 劳驾” when seeking assistance or asking for directions.
For Example:
Láojià, ràng wǒ guòqù hǎo ma?
劳驾，让我过去好吗?
Excuse me, may I pass?
Láojià, qǐngwèn tiān’ānmén zěnme zǒu?
劳驾，请问天安门怎么走？
Excuse me, how do I get to Tiananmen Square?
Dialogue:
Shòupiàoyuán: qǐngwèn nín dào nǎlǐ?
售票员: 请问您到哪里？
Conductor: Where are you heading?
Chéngkè: yuánmíngyuán, duōshǎo qián?
乘客: 圆明园，多少钱？
Passenger: To the Summer Palace. How much?
Shòupiàoyuán: Wǔkuài.
售票员: 五块。
Conductor: Five yuan.
…
Guǎngbò: Xiàzhàn yuánmíngyuán, xiàchē de chéngkè qǐng tíqián zhǔnbèi xià chē.
广播：下站圆明园，下车的乘客请提前准备下车。
Broadcast: We are approaching the Summer Palace; passengers, please prepare to exit.
Chéngkè: láojià ràng yīxià, wǒ yào xiàchē.
乘客: 劳驾让一下，我要下车。
Passenger: Excuse me, may I pass? I want to get off.
So, you can say “劳驾让一下 (láojià ràng yīxià)” when you want to get off or pass through. It means “excuse me,” and you can use it when on the bus or subway in Beijing.
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