If someone is bothering you

[Andy-Ru]

When you want someone to go away, because they are bothering you (or for another reason), how would you say it? 出去？外出？

Thanks,

Andy-Ru

[randall_flagg]

you can say 走开 or, a LOT harsher 滚开

[Hero Doug]

Off topic but possibly useful;

If you're being badgered with questions like "where are you from? do you have a girlfriend?" and all the other classics just keep in mind there's no reason you can't make it interesting and still help that person practice their English (or talk with a foreigner).

Just make up some ridiculous story about yourself. Say you're from some exotic country and your girlfriend is 6'4" tall and is stronger then you, ask where that guy works, act surprised and say you're looking to buying part of his company and that you'll be his new boss.

If you're talking in Chinese, it may be a good way to practice your Chinese.

[elina]

Yes, I think it’s 走开. But I seldom (or never) say that, when I “want someone to go away”, I usually say “我还有事，得先走了” and then make the person go away politely.

[flameproof]

it should be zou3 kai1, right? I am confused as my Wakan gives me zou1 kai1 ....

I am well prepared to use it, but the seller pests in Nanjing Lu in SH moved off after a simple "bye" (even though it must be easy to confuse with "buy").

[mirgcire]

If someone is bothering you in china, it is usually to sell something. It might be more to the point and respond with 不要 (bu yao), which will not always work so you might try ... 我不要你的东西 （wo bu yao nide dong xi）. and if they keep bothering you can say 你听到没有？(ni ting dao meiyou?) or 你听不懂啊? (ni ting bu dong a).

On a recent trip to shanghai I found myself in need of this language whenever I made the mistake of strolling down nanjing lu. I also found it very handy once when exploring the great wall at badaling on a saturday. I guess anytime you visit a tourist attaction, these are handy phrases to know.

[randall_flagg]

i think i've posted this on some other thread before, but what works best for me giving this pour soul a friendly smile and saying 对不起，我已经买了. That one has NEVER failed me.

[necroflux]

If it's just a passerby on the street then I would second mergcire's suggestion, with a bit of an alteration: "不用" (bu2 yong4).

Actually, I've been meaning to ask this myself - my understanding is that 不要 actually doesn't always mean the opposite of 要 as it usually indicates a command not to do something (你不要離開 - this means "don't leave!" instead of "you don't want to leave!"). So people use 要 and 不用 - 我要買你的鞋子 or 我不用買你的鞋子. But you do still sometimes see 不要 used in this way. Is this simply a matter of preference and context?

In situations in which you are forced to be with someone but you want them to give you some space, here are the two I see used most frequently - I believe the second is stronger than the first:

不管我好不好 (bu4 guan3 wo3 hao3 bu4 hao3)

離我遠一點 (li2 wo3 yuan3 yi1dian3)

[muirm]

If you like 歇后语 you can throw out 狗拿耗子 (where the implied second line is 多管闲事）. This is more like "mind your own business/beeswax" , and should really only be used when joking around with friends etc. I'm not sure how rude it is when said to a stranger, maybe a native speaker can throw his two cents in?

狗拿耗子 means "dog gets mouse", i.e. the dog is doing something he isn't supposed to (mice are the cat's responsibility). So when applied to people, it means one has overstepped his social boundaries in some way.

[Lu]

对不起，我已经买了. That one has NEVER failed me.

I tried that, the guy said 'So buy another one as a gift for your friends back home!' But you're right, usually it works pretty well.