你能解释一下吗

Learning Chinese: How to Say "Can You Explain?" in Chinese

Chinese Characters: 能解释一下吗？
Pinyin: Néng jiěshì yíxià ma?
Pronunciation: nung2 jie3 shi4 yi4 xia4 ma5
English Translation: Can you explain?

Usage:

"能解释一下吗？(néng jiěshì yíxià ma?)" is a polite way to ask someone to explain something that you don't understand. It can be used in both formal and informal settings.

Example:

Chinese: 这个词是什么意思？能解释一下吗？
Pinyin: Zhège cí shì shénme yìsi? Néng jiěshì yíxià ma?
English: What does this word mean? Can you explain?

Variations:

There are a few variations of "能解释一下吗？(néng jiěshì yíxià ma?)" that you may hear:

你能解释一下吗？(nǐ néng jiěshì yíxià ma?): A more direct way to ask someone to explain something.
请你解释一下。(qǐng nǐ jiěshì yíxià): A more formal way to ask someone to explain something.

Tips for Learning:

Practice saying "能解释一下吗？(néng jiěshì yíxià ma?)" out loud to improve your pronunciation.
Listen to native Chinese speakers asking for explanations to get a sense of the natural rhythm and intonation.
Use "能解释一下吗？(néng jiěshì yíxià ma?)" in your daily conversations to practice using it in context.

Additional Notes:

"能解释一下吗？(néng jiěshì yíxià ma?)" can also be used to ask for clarification on something that you've already heard.
To be more specific, you can add the phrase "关于... (guānyú...)" before the thing that you want explained. For example, "关于这个词，能解释一下吗？(guānyú zhège cí, néng jiěshì yíxià ma?)" means "Can you explain this word?"