" This is the most common way to say "Thanks" in Chinese, especially in Mandarin Chinese.  Mandarin Chinese is spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. It has more native speakers than other forms of Chinese.  Xie does not translate directly into English, but when spoken as xiè xie, it means "Thanks" and "'xiè xie nǐ" means "Thank you." A rough pronunciation of xiè xie is syeh-syeh. The first xiè starts high and drops by the end. The second xie is a neutral tone, meaning it is said lightly and without any emphasis. In simplified Chinese characters, xiè xie is 谢谢. In traditional Chinese characters, it would be 謝謝。 Other "thank you" sayings involving xie xie include "xiè xiè nín de bāng zhù," (谢 谢 您 的 帮 助) a formal way of saying "thanks for your help," and "xiè xiè nǐ bāng wǒ," (谢谢 你 帮 我) a casual way of saying "Thanks for your help. This phrase translates roughly into “where, where!”  The Chinese culture values humility, and saying “thank you” in response to a compliment can come off as being a little arrogant. By saying “where, where,” you are essentially deflecting the compliment. Within the U.S. culture, it would be similar to saying “shucks.” A rough pronunciation of this response would be na-ha-lee na-ha-lee.  In simplified Chinese characters, this response is written as 哪里哪里. In traditional Chinese characters, it would be 哪裡哪裡. As with nǎlǐ, nǎlǐ, responding with bù, bù, bù is a way to politely deflect compliments.  This response is similar to saying "no, no, no" in English. The number of times you say "bù" can vary depending on how strong your denial needs to be. The greater the compliment, the stronger the denial. A rough pronunciation of bù, bù, bù would be bhoo bhoo bhoo. Write bù in Chinese as 不.

Summary:
Say "xiè xie. Use "nǎlǐ, nǎlǐ" when given a compliment. Try "bù, bù, bù" for compliments, as well.