# 您很会谦虚。



## Ali Smith

Hi,

Someone told me I spoke Chinese very well. I replied 哪里哪里。He said 您很会谦虚。

What does 会 mean here? The rest is clear:

您 - you (polite)
很 - very
谦虚 - to express modesty

Thanks


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## SimonTsai

It's more or less the same as the ones in '你很會吹牛' and '你很會裝傻'.


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## hx1997

I would say it means "know how to". (I don't know if it's just me, but the addition of 会 there makes me really uncomfortable. It makes the whole thing sound like sarcasm to me.)


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## Ali Smith

hx1997 said:


> I would say it means "know how to". (I don't know if it's just me, but the addition of 会 there makes me really uncomfortable. It makes the whole thing sound like sarcasm to me.)


Would 您很谦虚。have meant the same thing?


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## hx1997

To me,
您很谦虚: You are very modest. (Modesty is one of your qualities.)
您很会谦虚: You really know how to be modest/express modesty. (Not your quality, but that you know what being modest is like.)


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## Sanchuan

hx1997 said:
It makes the whole thing sound like sarcasm to me.

不过，‘会谦虚’还是比较由衷的称赞对吧，只是指行为方面而不是性格特征。
会谦虚 = 懂礼貌，对不对？


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## AquisM

I think the meaning of this phrase really depends on the context, especially the tone in which it was said.

On the one hand, like Simon and hx1997 said, it could mean that your humility is superficial and artificial. If this had been said to a native speaker, I'd say this is the only interpretation.

On the other hand, humble gestures are indeed a big part of Chinese culture and many learners struggle with performing them because there isn't really an equivalent in their native culture. Viewed in this way, the phrase could have been a genuine compliment for mastering this aspect of Chinese culture that other learners have trouble with.

Without further context, I'm going to say it's the latter situation because I think the speaker deserves the benefit of the doubt.


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## T.D

I found it very weird. 
你很会 + V. means you are very good at doing something. I can hardly imagine a native speaker saying "You are very good at being modest."


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## hx1997

Sanchuan said:


> 不过，‘会谦虚’还是比较由衷的称赞对吧，只是指行为方面而不是性格特征。


我跟T.D的感觉一样，就是这个说法怪怪的，可能是这个原因让我觉得是讽刺。至于到底是不是，应该还是要看语气和语境。



AquisM said:


> Viewed in this way, the phrase could have been a genuine compliment for mastering this aspect of Chinese culture that other learners have trouble with.


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## SuperXW

Maybe because Ali is a foreigner so the native speaker added 会 (know-how) to express his praise...?
To other Chinese: 您太谦虚了！
To Ali: 你很会谦虚！(?)
Anyway, it is not very natural but maybe he couldn't make a better one at the time.

There are colloquial expressions like:
您真会说话
您真会开玩笑
你真会装蒜
你真会玩儿
你真会享受
你真会做人
……


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## henter

All you have to do is say 您很谦虚 in a situation in which you fancy singing the praises of someone for being humble. At the same time, I'd hazard a view that you are trying to cock a snook at someone when you add 会, which implies that someone is pretending to be modest.  Translation: you think this person is actually a cocksure sort.


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## stephenlearner

他会……a statement of the fact that someone can do something, with compliments sometimes. 

 他很会……in most contexts a pejorative opinion about someone who is regarded as snobbish, or prideful, or sinister.


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## SimonTsai

妳別看他這樣，他可是【很會】做飯的！
人家不單單是長得帥，還是影帝，還【很會】唱歌。

(This is my last August post and I shall be back in September.)


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## Messquito

It doesn't have to be sarcasm.
It could be that they are just teasing you for knowing full well that your Chinese is good but saying otherwise to be polite and show humility. Nothing wrong with that.


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## Messquito

stephenlearner said:


> 他会……a statement of the fact that someone can do something, with compliments sometimes.
> 
> 他很会……in most contexts a pejorative opinion about someone who is regarded as snobbish, or prideful, or sinister.


I beg to differ.
他會 means "know how to" and 他很會 means "be good at". 
The difference would be that in the level of proficiency.


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## henter

Messquito said:


> I beg to differ.
> 他會 means "know how to" and 他很會 means "be good at".
> The difference would be that in the level of proficiency.


  I submit that we have different speech patterns eve  though we are all Chinese.  If you tell someone 您很会谦虚 or _你挺会来事 in mainland China, it may not be a compliment; instead,  what you are trying to do is you just stop short of telling this person that you are just a sycophant or poser. _
​


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## henter

stephenlearner said:


> 他会……a statement of the fact that someone can do something, with compliments sometimes.
> 
> 他很会……in most contexts a pejorative opinion about someone who is regarded as snobbish, or prideful, or sinister.


至少在这段话中,  您很会谦虚 is by no means 恭维话. It strikes me as 暗讽. Subtext:I think you are hamming it up like a 民视 or 三立本土剧演员 . 如果改成你太谦虚了才是称赞.


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## 2PieRad

SimonTsai said:


> 妳別看他這樣，他可是【很會】做飯的！
> 人家不單單是長得帥，還是影帝，還【很會】唱歌。


Yeah...not sure if that’s a fair analogy. These are not innate personality traits. 做饭 唱歌 are skills you actively and consciously practise to get better at. The more you practise, the more you 会. And one day, you might become the best 做饭、唱歌 person in the world.

If you're actively practising how to 谦虚 （or 吹牛、装傻）, perhaps to one day become the most 谦虚est person in the world...I don't know...doesn't seem too surprising that many people in this thread suspect that it was not a compliment.


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## SuperXW

henter said:


> If you tell someone 您很会谦虚 or _你挺会来事 in mainland China, it may not be a compliment; instead, you just stop short of telling this person that you are just a sycophant or poser. _


会来事儿可是褒义：意思为善于处理各种事物，让人满意。
可能这个词只有局部地区会用，其它地区可能误会。

你们质疑“很会谦虚”奇怪也好，暗讽也好，但我相信发言者本意不是那样。
发言总有原因，语境至关重要。
一个外国人，懂得运用“哪里哪里”，让中国人惊叹，一时不知怎么表达好，说出“您很会谦虚”，是很有可能的。我推测他的意思可能是“*你很懂得怎样用中文表达谦虚。*”


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## T.D

SuperXW said:


> 会来事儿


这个词儿在我们这边约等于“作”。


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## henter

SuperXW said:


> 会来事儿可是褒义：意思为善于处理各种事物，让人满意。
> 可能这个词只有局部地区会用，其它地区可能误会。
> 
> 你们质疑“很会谦虚”奇怪也好，暗讽也好，但我相信发言者本意不是那样。
> 发言总有原因，语境至关重要。
> 一个外国人，懂得运用“哪里哪里”，让中国人惊叹，一时不知怎么表达好，说出“您很会谦虚”，是很有可能的。我推测他的意思可能是“*你很懂得怎样用中文表达谦虚。*”


Guess so. 可能是这个外国人的口误. 不过在北方会来事大部分情况下是贬义. 地区不同可能用法也有分别. Personally , I'd hate for someone to tell me something like this, insomuch as it reminds me of words like crafty and shifty=that is to say, he or she is actually saying I'm a janus-faced chap.


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