30+ Basic Business Chinese Vocabulary: Business Essentials
Do Business Like a Local || Commonly Used Business Chinese Vocabulary
So, you have decided to do business in China.
That’s great!
However, you should be prepared to deal with locals who don’t speak English.
If you want to develop a long-term and friendly relationship with your potential business partners, it’s important to build a connection with them. Language is the perfect bridge to do just that.
In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to a handful of common business terms and phrases to learn. Let’s jump in!
Basic Business Chinese || Greetings and Introductions
Basic Business Chinese || Essential Business Words and Phrases
Basic Business Chinese || Vocabulary and Common Phrases for Meetings
Basic Business Chinese || Vocabulary and Common Phrases for Emails
Basic Business Chinese || Vocabulary and Common Phrases for Presentation
Basic Business Chinese || FAQs
Basic Business Chinese || Greetings and Introductions
First impressions matter! Here are some key phrases to help you start on a positive note.
您好nín hǎo
Hello (formal)
This is the formal way to greet someone you meet for the first time. 您 is used to show more respect and will make a good impression on you knowing Chinese culture.
请问您贵姓qǐng wèn nín guì xìng
May I ask for your surname?
This is the common question to address when calling the person you meet.
Unlike Western culture, Chinese people usually call others by their surnames instead of their first names.
This is also to show respect and modesty before establishing a business connection.
Once you get their surnames, for example 刘 Liu, you will call them 刘先生 Mr. Liu.
老板lǎo bǎn
Boss
You can use it to refer to your boss or to address a business owner by following their surname. For example, 王老板 means ‘Boss Wang.’ Business owners of manufacturers in China love it when you address them like that.
总zǒng
Chief
It can be used similarly as 老板, although this is more suitable to address a CEO or a high executive in a scaled company.
In the same way, you use it following their surname. For example, the CEO’s surname is 刘Liu. You could say您好刘总 to greet him professionally.
幸会xìng huì
Nice to meet you
It’s more common and local to say 幸会 in a business meeting. It’s more formal and respectful.
Usually, you would say the word twice, like 幸会幸会. For example, after you’ve asked for the surname of the person you met, you’d say 王老板，幸会幸会！
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Basic Business Chinese || Essential Business Words and Phrases
谈业务tán yè wù
Discuss business
There are a couple of words for business. Normally, people use 业务 to refer to any businesses and partnerships. For example:
我们主要业务是进出口。wǒmen zhǔyào yèwù shì jìn chūkǒu.
Our business is mainly export and import.
Another important word to know when discussing business in China is:
公司gōngsī
Company
For example, if you wanted to say ‘Our company’s business’ in a business presentation, you could use the phrase 我们公司的业务 Wǒmen gōngsī de yèwù.
Now we can take a look at more specific words you’ll come across in a Chinese-speaking business environment.
供应商gong yìng shāng
Supplier
This is who you will deal with mostly when doing business in China.
服务fú wù
Service or to provide service
👉 服务 can be used as a noun or verb.
For example, if you want to say ‘This supplier provides great service.’ you can use the following sentence: 这个供应商服务的很好。 Zhège gōngyìng shāng fúwù de hěn hǎo
客户kèhù
Client
The client is the key! In business, we always address the needs of the clients. You should definitely know this word.
你们的客户是谁？nǐmen de kèhù shì shéi?
Who is your client?
If you’re learning Chinese for business, chances are a business trip might be on the cards. But how do you say business trip?
出差chū chāi
Business trip
You will often hear Chinese say this. Sometimes, being on business trips a lot means they are busy, and businesses are going well – so make sure to grab those WeChat contacts 😉
If you hear someone say this:
最近一直在出差。zuìjìn yīzhí zài chūchāi.
I have been on business trips a lot.
Make sure to reply with:
保持联系bǎo chí lián xì
Keep in touch
This is also a great phrase to keep connections regardless of whether you have established business partnerships. Chinese love to develop great business relationships.
You can say it at the end of every business conversation as a friendly etiquette.
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Basic Business Chinese || Vocabulary and Common Phrases for Meetings
开会kāihuì
Have a meeting
You will often hear Chinese say, 我们开个会 Wǒmen kāi gè huì. It means let’s have a meeting.
Or 我们三点要开会 wǒmen sān diǎn yào kāihuì. It means that we have a meeting at 3pm.
视频会议shìpín huìyì
Video conference
It’s very common now in China to have video calls for convenience. 视频 shìpín means videos. 会议 huìyì means meetings. You will hear it very often.
议程yìchéng
Agenda
Always remember to include the agenda before the actual discussion. You can introduce the meeting by saying:
我们今天的议程是…wǒmen jīntiān de yìchéng shì…
Today our agenda is…
讨论tǎolùn
Discuss
For example, if you want to say ‘Let’s discuss this issue.’ you can use this sentence: 我们讨论一下这个问题。
Two very useful phrases for meetings and discussions are:
👍 我同意
wǒ tóngyì
I agree
👎 我不同意
wǒ bù tóngyì
I disagree
Another helpful phrase to ask for confirmation or information.
我们需要更多的信息wǒmen xūyào gèng duō de xìnxī
We need more information
Basic Business Chinese || Vocabulary and Common Phrases for Emails
电子邮件diànzǐ yóujiàn
Even though most Chinese at work understand the English word, some still refer to it as 电子邮件. Usually, they switch between Email and 电子邮件 frequently.
随信附上suí xìn fù shàng
Attached in the email
For instance, you express ‘The data is attached to the email.’ you can say 数据随信附上。 Shùjù suí xìn fù shàng.
In some business scenarios, the Chinese would like a valid confirmation of the information they send.
已收到yǐ shōudào
We received it
You might need to respond later, but simply replying 已收到 ensures clear communication. It is a nice gesture.
请参阅附件qǐng cānyuè fùjiàn
Please see the attachment
👉 附件 means attachment.
It’s a more professional way to prompt checking on attachments in Chinese contexts.
期待您的答复
qídài nín de huífù
Looking forward to your reply
End your email with this closing phrase. It’s friendly and shows sincerity.
此致敬礼cǐ zhì jìng lǐ
Best Regards
顺祝商祺shùnzhù shāngqí
All the best
The above two are what’s typically used before your signature. They are the official and literal translations.
It’s a great phrase to use in official emails with formal respect.
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Basic Business Chinese || Vocabulary and Common Phrases for Presentation
我们开始吧wǒmen kāishǐ ba
Let’s start
This is a friendly way to kick off the presentation. The 吧 at the end adds a friendly and casual tone.
Want to learn more about how to use 吧? Check out our Grammar Bank Guide to 吧 here!
This sentence is a great way to catch everyone’s attention and kick off the meeting.
演示文稿yǎnshì wéngǎo
Presentation
Alternatively, you could use:
我们准备了一个演示文稿。wǒmen zhǔnbèile yīgè yǎnshì wéngǎo.
We have prepared a presentation.
Slides are a common tool in the Chinese work environment to brief project information.
幻灯片huàndēngpiàn
Slide
People mostly use Microsoft PowerPoint for slide presentations. You may often hear Chinese people use PPT as a reference for slides.
数据shùjù
Data
Mostly, you’d want to show some data to support your opinions in a presentation. You could say
这里有一些数据。 Zhè li yǒu yīxiē shùjù. We have some data here.
To wrap up a discussion or move onto the next topic during the presentation, you could use the following phrases. They also serve as a great way to intervene in a non-stop or overtime discussion.
结论是jiélùn
In conclusion
接下来jiē xiàlái
Next
For example, to say ‘Next, let’s take a look at some data.’ you would use the sentence: 接下来，我们来看一下数据。 Jiē xiàlái, wǒmen lái kàn yīxià shùjù
Last but not least:
总结一下zǒngjié yīxià
To summarize
This exact phrase sounds perfect as a natural ending to your presentation after talking for a long time. It also has a mild assertive tone to catch your audience’s attention again.
So here you go, keep practicing these common words and phrases, and soon, you will find yourself doing business with the locals like a pro. Good luck!
If you want to become proficient in business Chinese, make sure to check out:
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Basic Business Chinese || FAQs
How do I greet someone politely in a Chinese business setting?
You can greet someone with 您好 (nín hǎo), which is a polite way of saying “hello.” Adding 请问您贵姓 (qǐng wèn nín guì xìng) to ask for their surname shows a lot of respect and helps build trust with them.
How do I address the person I’m meeting with?
To show more respect when addressing a business owner or a high-ranking executive, use 老板 (lǎobǎn) for “boss” or 总 (zǒng) for “chief” followed by their surname. For example, 刘总 (Liú Zǒng).
How do I say “Let’s have a meeting at 3 pm” in Chinese?
我们三点要开会 (Wǒmen sān diǎn yào kāihuì). It’s a straightforward way to communicate meeting times.
To change the time, simply swap out the 3 (三 sān) for another number.
How do I politely ask someone to check for attachments in the email?
You could say 请参阅附件 (Qǐng cānyuè fùjiàn). It sounds friendly and professional.
How do I say “Let’s start” in a presentation or meeting in Chinese?
You can say 我们开始吧 (Wǒmen kāishǐ ba). It has a friendly tone to catch everyone’s attention.
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