请 in Polite Commands in Chinese
请
请 placed before an action makes a command or request polite: 请进 means 'please come in.' When an addressee is stated, put it after 请 and before the requested action: 请你坐. For a polite negative request, use 请别 or 请不要, not 请 followed by bare 不.
Published July 23, 2026
Reviewed July 23, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
请 + (Addressee) + Verb Phrase
Read the structure
请 placed before an action makes a command or request polite: 请进 means 'please come in.' When an addressee is stated, put it after 请 and before the requested action: 请你坐. For a polite negative request, use 请别 or 请不要, not 请 followed by bare 不. Keep the model 请 + (Addressee) + Verb Phrase visible while you compare each sentence.
请进！
Please come in!
Choose the right context
Use 请 directly before a short polite command: 请进。 Name the addressee between 请 and the action: 请你坐。 Use 请别 or 请不要 before an action for a polite negative request.
请你坐。
Please sit down.
Respect the boundary
Do not put 请 after the command verb in this basic request pattern. Do not use 请不 + verb for a negative command; use 请别 or 请不要. Do not insert unrelated material between 请, the addressee, and the requested action.
进请！
(Please come in!)
Repair the pattern
请 placed after the command verb: 请 introduces the polite request and must precede the requested action 进. Reversing the two words breaks the command pattern. Bare 不 used after 请 for a negative command: A negative command uses 别 or 不要 before the verb. Bare 不 negates a statement and cannot fill the prohibition slot after 请 here.
请进！
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
请进！
Please come in!
请
请
This part occupies the 请 position in the model pattern.
进
(Addressee)
This part occupies the (Addressee) position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
请进！
Please come in!
请你坐。
Please sit down.
请别说话。
Please do not speak.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Use 请 directly before a short polite command: 请进。
- Name the addressee between 请 and the action: 请你坐。
- Use 请别 or 请不要 before an action for a polite negative request.
Do not use it when
- Do not put 请 after the command verb in this basic request pattern.
- Do not use 请不 + verb for a negative command; use 请别 or 请不要.
- Do not insert unrelated material between 请, the addressee, and the requested action.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
进请！
请进！
请 placed after the command verb
请 introduces the polite request and must precede the requested action 进. Reversing the two words breaks the command pattern.
请不说话！
请别说话！
Bare 不 used after 请 for a negative command
A negative command uses 别 or 不要 before the verb. Bare 不 negates a statement and cannot fill the prohibition slot after 请 here.
进请！
请 introduces the polite request and must precede the requested action 进. Reversing the two words breaks the command pattern.
请不说话！
A negative command uses 别 or 不要 before the verb. Bare 不 negates a statement and cannot fill the prohibition slot after 请 here.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 请.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 请. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
请 in Polite Commands Questions
Where does 请 go in a request?
Before the addressee and action: 请进 or 请你进来. It introduces the polite command rather than following the verb.
How do I say 'please do not'?
Use 请别 + verb or 请不要 + verb: 请别说话 or 请不要进来. Do not use 请不 + verb.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, A.1.4.2 句类, 【一34】祈使句
Supports placement in HSK 1; it does not independently establish the usage explanation.
Official sourceModern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide, 3rd ed.
Ross, Ma, Chen, He and Yeh · Routledge · 2024
Locator: §51.1.1–§51.1.2 (commands and negative commands)
Mandarin commands use an uninflected verb phrase; 请 makes the command polite, while negative commands use 别 or 不要 before the verb.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Compare
吧吧 for Suggestions
Compare this lesson with 吧 softening a suggestion or proposed action; both belong to requests, suggestions, and obligation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
得得: Strong Practical Obligation
Compare this lesson with 得 marking an everyday necessity or obligation; both belong to requests, suggestions, and obligation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Compare
需需: Formal Need or Requirement
Compare this lesson with formal 需 marking a concise requirement; both belong to requests, suggestions, and obligation, but they organize a different sentence role or discourse job.
Continue learning
别别 for Negative Commands
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.
RECOMMENDED NEXT
Continue learning
Continue with the reviewed follow-up lesson to apply this pattern inside a broader, explicitly connected grammar construction.