还要请客回敬人家
“they need to host a dinner to return the favor.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
等上了班
“Once he's employed,”
还要 请客 回敬人家
“they need to host a dinner to return the favor.”
实在是走不开
“They really couldn't get away.”
“I really do not have time for this, but social etiquette forces me to treat them back.”
Chinese social interaction strictly emphasizes reciprocity; receiving a dinner invitation creates a social debt that must eventually be returned via hosting back.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
host a meal to return a social favor
Use this to describe fulfilling the reciprocal duty of treating someone who previously hosted you.
tied down, unable to get away
A very common colloquial expression to decline invitations or explain why one cannot leave work or duty.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“Let's just invite some close family and friends over.”
“you'll have to respectfully send me home.”
“My treat, of course.”
“Our treat, okay?”
“No. We'll treat you.”
“How about this? Go and attend to the guests.”