The Most Misunderstood Phrase in Chinese | The Art of Maybe Ep. 6: 再说吧

If a Chinese colleague ever tells you 再说吧 ("let's discuss it later"), don't put it back on the agenda. This is the series finale of The Art of Maybe, a 6-part breakdown of the real Mandarin phrases Chinese people use instead of a flat refusal. (New here? Start with Episode 1: 也许 — or listen to the full compilation, linked below.)

Phrase 6 of 6: 再说吧 (zài shuō ba) — "Let's discuss it later"

Situation: Someone raises a politically charged or premature topic in a group setting — one likely to cause division or derail the wider agenda.

The Western instinct is usually to address it head-on: "Let's talk about this now while everyone's here." We value putting cards on the table and reaching alignment through open debate — Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing. In China, alignment doesn't work that way: it's built through the continuous exchange of goodwill, Guanxi, not a single moment of confrontation.

In Mandarin: 这个问题比较敏感,我们以后再说吧 (Zhège wèntí bǐjiào mǐngǎn, wǒmen yǐhòu zài shuō ba) — "This issue is rather sensitive — let's talk about it later."

再说吧 (口头禅, a common colloquial expression) literally translates as "let's discuss it later." Culturally, it means something closer to "let's never bring this up again." If someone says it to you, that's your answer.

That's all 6 phrases in The Art of Maybe. If you want the whole series back-to-back with full context, check out the complete compilation episode, linked below — and if this changed how you think about "No" in Chinese, the deeper psychology behind why it works is one download away.

Want to understand why this works? These six phrases are the practice — but the psychology behind them is the real skill. On my website, I've created a free 23-page guide, Chinese Thinking: Three Levers to Positively Influence Behavior in China, that breaks down how Face (面子), Pragmatism (现实), and Superstition (迷信) work together to explain Chinese behavior — and how to cooperate with it instead of fighting it. Download it free at genejhsu.com.

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