‘清扰’ is a humble, formal expression used to politely acknowledge that one is imposing or causing inconvenience—typically when asking for help, making a request, or interrupting someone. Literally, ‘清’ (qīng) means ‘to clear’ or ‘to make pure,’ and ‘扰’ (rǎo) means ‘to disturb’ or ‘to trouble.’ Together, they form a modest way of saying ‘I’m troubling you’ or ‘Sorry to bother you,’ softening the request by framing the disturbance as something the speaker actively ‘clears’ or takes responsibility for.

This phrase appears mainly in spoken and written communication with superiors, elders, or strangers in professional or courteous settings—such as customer service interactions, office emails, or formal invitations. It is not used in casual conversation among friends or family, where simpler phrases like ‘打扰一下’ (dǎrǎo yíxià) are preferred. Though grammatically a verb, ‘清扰’ functions almost exclusively as a fixed, polite formula rather than a verb that takes objects or complements.