Mei Guanxi- No Relationship, Saying You are Sorry in Chinese

“Mei” in Chinese pinyin, means “no” (which is the Chinese form of spelling that uses letters as opposed to characters- here), guanxi in pinyin is relationships, it is a well known and partially understood term to westerners.

So, in china, why is it that they say Mei Guanxi ( 没关系) to say ‘no problem’ or ‘its alright’? This would seem as if they are saying, “No relationship, or the opposite. For instance, in china if you make a mistake you may say ‘ bu hao yise’ (or bad this- I am sorry), and I will respond- mei guanxi, or no relationship.  As I began to learn Chinese ( I still haven’t) this notion perplexed.

For one thing, it shows the power of guanxi in China, in terms of it is a form of saying no problem, and its true meaning per wiki is

meiyou guanxi (沒有關係 ) which literally translated to “doesn’t have guanxi [implications]”

Problem solved. So in China, instead of saying no problem, or it is ok, one basically is stating that whatever thing has transpired between you and another, if not too bad, has not damaged the ever precious relationship.