Using self-paced moving window reading and semantic judgment paradigms, this study investigated the effects of face-threatening context on the selection frequency and response time for logical meaning and scalar meaning of the scalar term Sometimes among advanced-level Chinese learners with and without prompting. In the no-cue condition, the results showed that regardless of whether there was a face-threatening context, advanced-level Chinese learners tended to favor the interpretation of the scalar meaning of Sometimes as not always. However, the presence of a face-threatening context increased the cognitive load associated with understanding the various meanings of the scalar item Sometimes. In the cue and training conditions, the results indicated that advanced-level Chinese learners showed a preference for the logical meaning of Sometimes as always. The face-threatening context significantly increased the cognitive load in interpreting Sometimes, and compared to the no-threat condition, it facilitated the understanding of always as the logical meaning of Sometimes, while inhibiting the understanding of not always as the scalar meaning. This study suggests that under the no-cue condition, advanced-level Chinese learners may engage in a more superficial cognitive processing of threat contexts. While they perceive the threat, they lack strategic application. In contrast, under the cue and training conditions, advanced-level Chinese learners engage in more refined and integrated cognitive processing, applying strategic knowledge based on politeness principles. This allows them to relate and integrate threat context information with other activated information from the sentence, thereby enhancing their understanding and recognition of the logical meaning.