Usage note
请教是礼貌地请求别人帮助或给出建议。
Qǐngjiào shì lǐmào de qǐngqiú biérén bāngzhù huò gěichū jiànyì.
To ask for advice is to politely request help or suggestions from others.
Context note
在学校里，遇到不懂的问题可以举手向老师请教。
Zài xuéxiào lǐ, yùdào bù dǒng de wèntí kěyǐ jǔshǒu xiàng lǎoshī qǐngjiào.
At school, when you encounter a question you don't understand, you can raise your hand to ask the teacher for advice.
5 examples
我想请教你一个问题，这道数学题怎么做？
wǒ xiǎng qǐng jiào nǐ yí gè wèn tí， zhè dào shù xué tí zěn me zuò？
I want to ask you for advice on a question, how to solve this math problem?
他向爷爷请教种花的方法。
tā xiàng yé ye qǐng jiào zhǒng huā de fāng fǎ。
He asked his grandpa for advice on how to grow flowers.
如果你不确定，可以请教班长。
rú guǒ nǐ bú què dìng， kě yǐ qǐng jiào bān zhǎng。
If you are not sure, you can ask the class monitor for advice.
她经常向妈妈请教做菜的小技巧。
tā jīng cháng xiàng mā ma qǐng jiào zuò cài de xiǎo jì qiǎo。
She often asks her mom for advice on cooking tips.
请教别人时，要说“请”和“谢谢”。
qǐng jiào bié rén shí， yào shuō “ qǐng ” hé “ xiè xiè ”。
When asking for advice, you should say 'please' and 'thank you'.
5 mini stories
小华不会写作文，他决定请教老师。老师耐心地教他如何开头。
xiǎo huá bú huì xiě zuò wén， tā jué dìng qǐng jiào lǎo shī。 lǎo shī nài xīn dì jiào tā rú hé kāi tóu。
Xiao Hua didn't know how to write an essay, so he decided to ask the teacher for advice. The teacher patiently taught him how to start.
小红想学折纸，她请教了手工课代表。课代表一步一步教她。
xiǎo hóng xiǎng xué zhé zhǐ， tā qǐng jiào le shǒu gōng kè dài biǎo。 kè dài biǎo yí bù yi bù jiào tā。
Xiao Hong wanted to learn origami, so she asked the craft class representative for advice. The representative taught her step by step.
小刚迷路了，他请教一位叔叔怎么去图书馆。叔叔指了方向。
xiǎo gāng mí lù le， tā qǐng jiào yí wèi shū shu zěn me qù tú shū guǎn。 shū shu zhǐ le fāng xiàng。
Xiao Gang was lost, so he asked a man for advice on how to get to the library. The man pointed the way.
小丽不会跳绳，她请教体育老师。老师示范了正确的动作。
xiǎo lì bú huì tiào shéng， tā qǐng jiào tǐ yù lǎo shī。 lǎo shī shì fàn le zhèng què de dòng zuò。
Xiao Li couldn't jump rope, so she asked the PE teacher for advice. The teacher demonstrated the correct movement.
小明想养金鱼，他请教了养鱼的朋友。朋友告诉他怎么换水。
xiǎo míng xiǎng yǎng jīn yú， tā qǐng jiào le yǎng yú de péng yǒu。 péng yǒu gào sù tā zěn me huàn shuǐ。
Xiao Ming wanted to keep goldfish, so he asked a friend who keeps fish for advice. The friend told him how to change the water.
Mini dialogue
请教问题
A
老师，我可以请教一个问题吗？
Lǎoshī, wǒ kěyǐ qǐngjiào yí gè wèntí ma?
Teacher, may I ask for advice on a question?
B
当然可以，请说。
Dāngrán kěyǐ, qǐng shuō.
Of course, please go ahead.
向同学请教
A
这道数学题我不会，能向你请教吗？
Zhè dào shùxué tí wǒ bú huì, néng xiàng nǐ qǐngjiào ma?
I don't know how to do this math problem, can I ask you for advice?
B
没问题，我们一起看看。
Méi wèntí, wǒmen yìqǐ kànkan.
No problem, let's look at it together.
Related words and contrasts
related
请问
qǐng wèn
may I ask
Polite way to start a question.
related
学习
xué xí
to learn
Asking for advice is part of learning.