Business Chinese Phrases 100
商务会话
The working vocabulary of the Chinese office, organized by scene — introductions, meetings, calls, scheduling and negotiation — each phrase with pinyin, a usage note and native teacher audio.
First Meetings & Introductions 11
Chinese business begins with relationships. Exchange business cards with both hands, use the honorifics (贵公司, 您), and a couple of these set phrases will mark you as someone who did their homework.
The classy doubled greeting for business first meetings — pairs with a handshake.
Literally "long admired your great name" — flatters and honors at once.
Present and receive cards with BOTH hands — then actually read theirs.
Humble set phrase when starting to work with someone senior or new.
Asks for goodwill in the relationship — common in first meetings and emails.
Said when sealing cooperation — also the standard partnership toast.
Insert your company before 公司 — the standard self-affiliation.
负责 = be responsible for — swap 销售 for your own function.
同事 = colleague — introduce teammates before business starts.
贵 (honorable) elevates the other side — never say it about your own firm.
The plain, correct way to reference your own side.
In a Meeting 14
Running and surviving meetings: opening, presenting, asking questions and wrapping up. Chinese meetings tend to be formal at the top and candid in the hallway afterwards.
The meeting opener — 吧 keeps it collegial rather than commanding.
议题 = agenda item — frames the meeting from the first minute.
到齐 = all arrived — the roll-call before starting.
份 counts documents — 资料 covers handouts, decks and files.
先…一下 = "first, briefly" — the standard presentation opener.
The floor-opening question after any explanation.
Raise a hand, say this, ask away — welcome in any Chinese meeting.
Granting the floor — 讲 = speak/explain.
补充 = supplement — adds without contradicting. Very meeting-safe.
The rephrase connector — buys clarity and thinking time.
具体 = concrete — signals details are coming.
The wrap-up connector before conclusions.
Tables a topic politely — sometimes forever.
The standard meeting closer — often followed by 辛苦大家了.
Scheduling & Appointments 10
Setting times, moving them, and confirming — the daily glue of working life. 您什么时候方便 (when suits you) is the politeness workhorse here.
会议 = meeting — the question behind every calendar check.
改 = change — the announcement everyone knows too well.
开会 = hold/attend a meeting — the universal excuse to hang up.
约 = arrange — the smooth transition from "we should meet" to a date.
方便 = convenient — the politest scheduling question, 您 included.
上午 morning, 下午 afternoon — propose concretely to move fast.
日程 = itinerary/calendar — the professional pause button.
定 = fixed — chasing a floating appointment.
提前 = ahead of time — sets the expectation clearly.
改到 + time = reschedule to ___ — the polite postponement.
Phone, Email & Messages 17
Chinese office communication lives on WeChat and email. These are the fixed phrases of both — 收到 (received) alone will cover half your replies.
喂 (wéi) exists only on the phone — never say it face to face.
哪位 = which honorable person — the polite caller-ID.
转接 = transfer a call — front-desk essential.
不在 = not present — the standard screen.
留言 = leave words — also the word for voicemail and comments.
晚点 = a bit later — the graceful exit from phone tag.
The universal call-quality apology — real or diplomatic.
The first words of every video call, in any language.
稍后 = shortly — the professional "seen, will respond."
发 = send — 邮件 is email; WeChat may still be faster.
收到 is the single most-typed word in Chinese work chats — acknowledge everything.
查收 = check and receive — standard email boilerplate.
已 = already — the two-character status update.
确认 = confirm — the polite nudge on any pending item.
Sets the expected action and order — clear and businesslike.
转发 = forward — emails, files and WeChat messages alike.
抄送 = carbon copy — yes, email Chinese has its own CC verb.
Deadlines & Progress 13
Status updates, urgency and delivery: how work actually gets discussed. 尽快 (as soon as possible) and 加急 requests will fill your workdays.
截止日期 = cut-off date — the question that rules office life.
来得及 = can make it in time — 来不及 is the dreaded opposite.
进度 = progress — the manager's daily question.
按 = according to — the answer everyone hopes to give.
有点 softens bad news — 延误 = delay.
尽快 = ASAP, 处理 = handle — the responsible reply to any problem.
急 = urgent — flags priority without drama.
优先 = give priority — clear task triage.
交给 = hand over to — confident ownership of a task.
汇报 = report upward — the verb of status meetings.
数据 = data — sliding the numbers across the table.
不错 = not bad → genuinely good. Understated praise, very Chinese.
改进 = improve — the diplomatic version of "this isn't good enough."
Negotiation & Price 10
Discussing money without losing the relationship. Chinese negotiation is patient and indirect — 再考虑考虑 (let us think it over) often means the real talks have just begun.
预算 = budget — where every negotiation quietly starts.
超 = exceed — the two-character bad news.
报价 = quote a price — the formal ask for numbers.
谈 = discuss — the door-opener to bargaining.
底价 = floor price — believe roughly half the time.
Doubled 考虑 softens it — often a polite "not yet" rather than no.
内部 = internal — the standard pause before decisions.
基本 = basically — 95% yes, pending final blessing.
The handshake word — deal closed, from markets to boardrooms.
付款方式 = payment method — wire, LC, installments; settle it early.
Contracts & Delivery 11
Sealing the deal: contracts, seals, samples, delivery and after-sales. The company chop (盖章) carries more legal weight in China than a signature.
合同 = contract — 准备好了 means ready and waiting.
签字 = sign — pens out, relationships formalized.
The red company chop legally binds — often more than a signature.
交货 = hand over goods — THE supply-chain question.
Time word + 交货 — commitments made simple.
保证 = guarantee — ask before, not after.
样品 = sample — the wise step before any big order.
售后 = after-sale — 呢 hangs the topic as a question.
发票 is the official tax invoice — essential for any reimbursement.
结算 = settle accounts — 月底 = end of month.
惯例 = convention — the phrase that ends (or starts) arguments.
Office Life & Socializing 14
Overtime, business trips, and the banquet table where relationships are really built. Toasting etiquette matters — clink lower than your senior's glass to show respect.
加班 = add shift — sadly among the most-used office words.
出差 = business trip — the standard out-of-office.
请假 = request leave — 请两天假 for two days.
The leader's closing line after meetings and long days.
客户 = client, 满意 = satisfied — the report everyone wants to give.
有意见 = has opinions — the diplomatic word for unhappy.
跟进 = follow up — modern office verb, borrowed straight from business English.
保持 = maintain — the professional goodbye.
Greeting visitors at the door — tea usually follows.
Walking guests to the elevator or door is expected courtesy.
In China, deals are seasoned over dinner — accept when you can.
敬 = respectfully offer — clink your glass LOWER than your senior's.
期待 = look forward to — closes meetings and emails warmly.
The classic business blessing — hangs on red banners in every shop.
Want to actually speak them? Practice with a native teacher.
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