Formal letters and notices: 贵, 敬请, 鉴于, 特此, 此致敬礼, 予以
The fixed words of official letters and public notices, and how a formal letter is laid out.
Part of the free C1 Chinese course (about HSK 6 and above). Examples are in Simplified characters, with pinyin only for some new or hard words; press the speaker to hear one with your device's Chinese voice.
Formal words
Business letters, emails to institutions and public notices use a small set of fixed words. They are polite, impersonal and compact.
| Word | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 贵 (guì) | your (honoured) | 贵公司, 贵校, 贵方 |
| 本 (běn) | our, this | 本公司, 本店, 本次活动 |
| 敬请 (jìngqǐng) | (we) respectfully ask | 敬请光临, 敬请谅解, 敬请期待 |
| 鉴于 (jiànyú) | in view of | 鉴于天气原因 |
| 特此 (tècǐ) | hereby | 特此通知, 特此证明 |
| 予以 (yǔyǐ) | give, grant (+ two-character verb) | 予以批准, 予以支持, 予以考虑 |
- 感谢贵公司的大力支持。Thank you for your company's generous support.
- 本店十月一日起暂停营业，敬请谅解。This shop is closed from October 1st; we ask for your understanding.
- 鉴于天气原因，本次活动改期举行。Owing to the weather, this event has been postponed.
- 特此通知。Notice is hereby given.
- 对于您提出的建议，我们将认真予以考虑。We will give your suggestion careful consideration.
- 敬请光临。Your presence is cordially requested.
The shape of a formal letter
- Salutation, flush left, with a colon: 尊敬的王经理：
- A greeting line, indented two characters: 您好！
- Body, each paragraph indented two characters.
- Closing: 此致 (cǐzhì, "I hereby convey") goes right after the body or on its own line indented two characters; 敬礼！ (jìnglǐ, "my respects") goes on the next line, flush left.
- Signature and date, bottom right.
- 尊敬的王经理：您好！Dear Manager Wang, greetings!
贵 points to the other side, 本 to your own. Mixing them up is the most noticeable slip in a formal letter.
Common mistakes
我们贵公司→ 本公司 or 我公司. 贵 is only for the reader's organisation.予以帮→ 予以帮助. 予以 takes a two-character verb.哥们儿，鉴于你昨天没来……Register clash: 鉴于 and 特此 don't mix with chatty words.- Writing 此致敬礼 as one run-on phrase in a letter: lay out 此致 and 敬礼 as two parts, 敬礼 on its own line.
贵老师贵 goes with organisations and in the set phrase 贵姓, not before a person's title.
Practice
- Writing to another company, how do you refer to it?Options: 贵公司 · 本公司 · 我公司
Show the answer
贵公司 — 贵 is for the other side; 本 and 我 are your own.
- _____天气原因，本次比赛推迟举行。
Show the answer
鉴于 — 鉴于 is the most formal; 由于 also fits a notice; 因为 is correct but plainer.
- A notice ends with a set phrase meaning 'notice is hereby given'. Which?Options: 特此通知。 · 此致通知。 · 敬请通知。
Show the answer
特此通知。
- 对于大家的意见，我们将认真_____考虑。Options: 予以 · 特此 · 鉴于
Show the answer
予以 — 予以 + two-character verb: 予以考虑.
In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, followed by questions you can answer in characters or pinyin. It then comes back for review on later days, until you've answered it correctly on three separate days.