Questions & Answers about qǐng jìzhù zhīfùmìmǎ.
What does 请 do at the beginning of the sentence?
Here, 请 means please. It makes the sentence polite.
So 请记住支付密码 is a polite instruction or reminder.
A useful extra note: 请 can also mean to invite or to treat someone, but not in this sentence. Here it is just a politeness marker.
Why is there no subject? Who is supposed to remember the password?
Mandarin often leaves out the subject when it is obvious from context.
In an app, on a website, or in a notice, the hidden subject is usually 你. So this sentence is understood as:
请你记住支付密码。
The shorter version sounds very natural in instructions and interface text.
Can I say 请你记住支付密码 instead?
Yes, absolutely.
- 请记住支付密码。 = shorter, common in written instructions
- 请你记住支付密码。 = also correct, a little more explicit
Both are natural. In things like banking apps and warnings, the shorter form is especially common.
Why is it 记住 and not just 记?
记住 is more natural here because it means remember and keep it in mind or commit it to memory.
In 记住:
- 记 = remember, note down, memorize
- 住 = a result complement
So 住 does not mean to live here. It shows that the action reaches a result: the information is successfully retained.
That is why 请记住支付密码 sounds like Please make sure you remember the payment password.
What is the difference between 记住 and 记得?
They are related, but not the same.
- 记住 focuses on successfully keeping something in your memory
- 记得 often means remember in the sense of not forget or have a memory of
Examples:
请记住这个号码。
Please remember this number.我记得他的名字。
I remember his name.记得带钥匙。
Remember to bring your keys.
In your sentence, 记住 is better because it is telling someone to retain the password clearly in memory.
Why is 支付密码 written without 的?
Because 支付密码 is a noun compound, and Mandarin very often forms compounds without 的.
Here:
- 支付 = payment, to pay
- 密码 = password, passcode, PIN, code
Together, 支付密码 means payment password or payment PIN/passcode.
Chinese often puts the modifier directly before the noun in this kind of fixed expression. Similar examples are:
- 登录密码 = login password
- 银行卡 = bank card
- 手机号码 = mobile phone number
Using 支付的密码 here would sound unnatural.
Is 支付 a verb here or something else?
What exactly does 密码 mean here? Is it a password or a PIN?
密码 is a broad word. Depending on context, it can mean:
- password
- passcode
- PIN
- code
So 支付密码 could be translated in different ways depending on the system:
- payment password
- payment PIN
- payment passcode
If the system uses numbers only, English might prefer PIN. If it uses letters, numbers, or symbols, English might prefer password or passcode.
How should I pronounce the sentence naturally?
The pinyin is:
qǐng jìzhù zhīfù mìmǎ
Tone by tone:
- 请 qǐng = 3rd tone
- 记 jì = 4th tone
- 住 zhù = 4th tone
- 支 zhī = 1st tone
- 付 fù = 4th tone
- 密 mì = 4th tone
- 码 mǎ = 3rd tone
A natural rhythm is:
请记住 / 支付密码。
One pronunciation note: 请 keeps its 3rd tone, but in normal speech it may sound a bit shorter and lower than an exaggerated textbook 3rd tone.
Can I add 你的 and say 请记住你的支付密码?
Yes, that is correct.
- 请记住支付密码。 = Please remember the payment password.
- 请记住你的支付密码。 = Please remember your payment password.
Adding 你的 makes the ownership explicit. Leaving it out is very common when the context already makes it obvious whose password is meant.
In app messages and warnings, Chinese often prefers the shorter version.
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