殷勤

yīnqín

politely

HSK 7

Character Breakdown

Meaning and Usage

The adjective 殷勤 (yīnqín) describes a warm, attentive, and considerate attitude, often shown in hospitality or service contexts. It implies genuine care and eagerness to please or help others.

Common Contexts

You will often see 殷勤 used to describe how hosts treat guests, how service staff attend to customers, or how someone shows polite attentiveness in social interactions.

Collocations and Patterns

  • 殷勤招待 (yīnqín zhāodài): to treat someone with warm hospitality.
  • 殷勤邀请 (yīnqín yāoqǐng): to warmly invite.
  • 殷勤服务 (yīnqín fúwù): attentive service.

Nuances

Using 殷勤 conveys a positive, respectful tone. It is more formal and polite than casual friendliness. Avoid confusing it with 勤奋 (diligent in work/study), as 殷勤 focuses on interpersonal attentiveness rather than personal effort.

Summary

Use 殷勤 when you want to emphasize someone's warm, considerate, and attentive behavior toward others, especially in social or service settings.

Example Sentences

他对客人非常殷勤,总是细心照顾他们的需要。

Tā duì kèrén fēicháng yīnqín, zǒng shì xìxīn zhàogù tāmen de xūyào.

He is very attentive to guests and always carefully takes care of their

她殷勤地邀请我们参加她的生日聚会。

Tā yīnqín de yāoqǐng wǒmen cānjiā tā de shēngrì jùhuì.

She warmly invited us to attend her birthday party.

服务员殷勤地为我们介绍菜单上的特色菜。

Fúwùyuán yīnqín de wèi wǒmen jièshào càidān shàng de tèsè cài.

The waiter attentively introduced the special dishes on the menu to us.