Simplified Chinese character 请

It introduces a polite request, question, or invitation.

In Mandarin, 请 comes before an action: 请坐 asks someone to sit, while 请问 opens a polite question. In other compounds, 请客 means inviting or treating someone, and 请假 means asking for leave.

The Chinese “please” can soften a request, but it does not cancel the action being requested. The verb and your relationship with the sender determine whether it feels welcoming, businesslike, or firm.

Where does 请 come from?

It developed from an older character connected with speech.

Early surviving forms include a late bronze inscription and writing slips from Chu during the Warring States period, an era of rival Chinese states. The slips were narrow pieces used for writing; Qin and Han manuscripts show the character continuing in use.

In traditional 請, 言 points to speech and 青 gives a clue to the sound. The early character dictionary 說文解字 glossed it as 謁也, “seeking an audience or paying a visit.” Simplified 请 replaces 言 with 讠 and keeps 青. Font styles can change strokes without changing the character; the older social sense sits beside later request and invitation uses, without proving a neat step-by-step change.

What does 请 mean on its own?

The action is unstated, so use the conversation for context.

A bare 请 does not tell you what is being asked. Check what came before; if the intended action is still unclear, ask what the sender wants.