How to Write Business Emails and WeChat Messages in Chinese (With Examples)

Essential Email and WeChat Phrases for Business 📨 PLUS Example Email in Chinese

TL;DR: A Chinese business email follows a set order: salutation, polite opening, main body, closing blessing, sign-off, and signature. Open with 尊敬的 (zūnjìng de) plus the person’s surname and title, write 您 (nín) rather than 你 (nǐ), and close with 此致敬礼 (cǐ zhì jìnglǐ). In China, WeChat often takes the place of email, and replying 收到 (shōu dào) confirms you got a message.

Writing a professional email in Chinese follows a clear structure: salutation, polite opening, main body, closing blessing, sign-off (此致敬礼, cǐ zhì jìnglǐ), and signature. The register is more formal than typical English business emails, but once you know the set phrases you can slot them in every time.

Writing a good Chinese business email is not just about translating the words.

There are specific phrases composed in a certain way for different contexts.

With WeChat taking over communication everywhere in China, you should also get used to receiving messages rather than emails.

✅ In this blog post, we’ll walk you through a lot of helpful phrases and showcase a writing sample for a professional email and a WeChat message. Let’s get going!

Key Phrases for Chinese Business Emails

Chinese Business Email Format

Chinese Business Email Writing Example

The Role of WeChat in Chinese Business

Useful WeChat Phrases to Use In Business

FAQs

Writing Business Emails and WeChat Messages || Key Phrases for Chinese Business Emails

The terms below are key vocabulary for Chinese business emails. In Chinese, they are written in a certain way for business contexts. So keep the exact words in mind.

Before we start, here are the three words you’ll use most when writing emails in Chinese:

Writing emails in Chinese is called 写电子邮件 (xiě diànzǐ yóujiàn). Now let’s look at the key vocabulary you need to do exactly that.

Subject and Recipients

A quick note on the subject line (主题, zhǔtí): keep it short and specific so the recipient knows what the email is about before they open it. A typical format is [topic or project name] + [purpose]. Here are two common examples:

Titles and Greetings

Signing Off

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Writing Business Emails and WeChat Messages || Chinese Business Email Format

The structure of a Chinese business email is similar to a Western one, but the register is noticeably more formal. In Chinese workplace culture, hierarchy and face (面子, miànzi) matter a great deal. People show respect for seniority through language, so even a routine follow-up email keeps a polite, slightly elevated tone that would feel over-formal in English.

That’s not a reason to be intimidated. Once you know the standard phrases, using them feels natural fast. If you’re curious about the Chinese writing system challenges that can trip up learners, that’s worth a read too. For now, here are the tweaks to keep in mind.

A note on Chinese punctuation

Chinese emails use different punctuation marks from English, and getting them right shows you know what you’re doing:

• After the salutation, use a full-width colon (：), not a Western comma or colon. For example: 尊敬的李总：(zūnjìng de Lǐ zǒng)
• To list items inside the body, use the enumeration comma (、), called 顿号 (dùnhào), rather than a Western comma.
• The Chinese full stop is a small circle (。), not a dot (.).

Most Chinese keyboards and input methods insert these automatically, so you mainly need to know they exist.

Start your email with an appropriate greeting and title.

If you’re unsure who to address, the exact phrase to use for ‘To who it may concern’ is

致相关负责人

zhì xiāng guān fù zé rén

To whom it may concern

One rule you’ll use constantly: always write 您 (nín) rather than 你 (nǐ) in business emails. 您 is the respectful form of “you” and is standard when writing to clients, managers, suppliers, or anyone outside your own team. You can use 你 with a close colleague you message every day, but when in doubt, 您 is always the safer choice. Think of it like the difference between “vous” and “tu” in French.

Start the message with respectful phrases that are specifically for formal business contexts.

The email content can mostly follow a regular English email format

To end the email, use particular respectful phrases

Then, what’s left is to add the phrases to sign off mentioned above and a proper signature.

A quick note on 顺祝商祺 (shùn zhù shāng qí): this is a traditional formal wish found almost exclusively in business correspondence. It literally expresses a hope for smooth and prosperous business dealings, making it the go-to closing for clients or external partners.

For internal or slightly less formal emails, a shorter 祝好 (zhù hǎo), meaning “best wishes,” works well. So does one of these 祝 (zhù) constructions:

Business card culture is still significant in China.

So, your signature should include your title, company, and contact information, such as your phone number and email.

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Writing Business Emails and WeChat Messages || Chinese Business Email Writing Example

Now, to help you digest all those phrases, let’s go over two examples: one formal, and one for a more relaxed internal message.

Formal example (external business contact)

尊敬的刘总 ，

zūn jìng de liú zǒng

Dear Mr. Liu,

您好!

nín hǎo !

Hello!

我希望与贵公司洽谈一个合作项目。

wǒ xī wàng yǔ guì gōng sī qià tán yī gè hé zuò xiàng mù

I hope to discuss a potential cooperation project with your company.

我们公司的产品非常适合贵公司的业务需求。

wǒ mén gōng sī de chǎn pǐn fēi cháng shì hé guì gōng sī de yè wù xū qiú

Our products are highly suitable for your business needs.

我希望能安排一个时间进行详细讨论。

wǒ xī wàng néng ān pái yī gè shí jiān jìn xíng xiáng xì tǎo lùn

I would like to schedule a time for a detailed discussion.

附件是我们的公司简介，请您查阅。

fù jiàn shì wǒ mén de gōng sī jiǎn jiè ， qǐng nín chá yuè 。

Attached is our company profile for your review.

期待您的答复。

qī dài nín de dá fù 。

Looking forward to your reply.

此致敬礼，

cǐ zhì jìng lǐ ,

Sincerely,

张洋  (zhāng yáng) Zhang Yang
市场总监 (shì chǎng zǒng jiān) Marketing Director
ABC公司 (ABC gōng sī) ABC Company
电话：123-456-7890 (diàn huà ：123-456-7890) Phone: 123-456-7890
邮箱 ：[email protected] (yóu xiāng ：[email protected]) Email: [email protected]

Informal example (internal colleague message)

亲爱的小王，

Qīn’ài de xiǎo Wáng,

Hey Wang,

你好！

nǐ hǎo!

Hi!

明天下午三点的会议，你方便参加吗？

Míngtiān xiàwǔ sān diǎn de huìyì, nǐ fāngbiàn cānjiā ma?

Are you free to join the 3pm meeting tomorrow afternoon?

麻烦你确认一下，谢谢！

Máfan nǐ quèrèn yīxià, xièxie!

Could you confirm? Thanks!

祝好！

Zhù hǎo!

Best,

[Your name]

Writing Business Emails and WeChat Messages || The Role of WeChat in Chinese Business

You may know that WeChat is the go-to app for Chinese. It permeates deep into Chinese everyday life, including messaging, social media, payment, transportation, work software, document sharing, and anything else you can imagine.

 So, you can also expect that Chinese people wouldn’t work without WeChat. It replaces email’s role in the Western business world for messaging.

Besides that, WeChat has in-app mini-programs built like apps and softwares. So, in a WeChat message, you can share document links, CRM software, invoices, project boards, product links, etc. Anything involved in a workflow or business transaction can be integrated into a WeChat message.

WeChat’s reach makes it super important to know how to use WeChat in business conversations. Once you grasp how to message in WeChat for business, you’ll truly be blended into the local environment.

Writing Business Emails and WeChat Messages || Useful WeChat Phrases to Use In Business

微信 (wēi xìn) – The Chinese name for WeChat

These two are typical phrases when you want to have the contact information.

The phrase wǒ jiā nín is a more respectful and formal way to say it to a senior person. 👇🏻

我加您

wǒ jiā nín

Let me add you.

The phrase kě yǐ jiā wǒ wēi xìn sounds more casual and personal. It can be used in daily scenarios. 👇🏻

可以加我微信

kě yǐ jiā wǒ wēi xìn

You can add me on WeChat.

You need to search for someone’s WeChat ID to add someone as a friend. In most cases, Chinese people would ask to scan your QR code.

When the other side has your phone number already, you can say:

我微信就是电话号

wǒ wēi xìn jiù shì diàn huà hào

My WeChat is my phone number.

When asking to scan their QR code, this is the most common way to add a contact.

Sometimes, the Chinese love to talk about an issue instead of reading or writing long paragraphs. So sending a voice message on WeChat is much more convenient.

给我发语音

gěi wǒ fā yǔ yīn

Send me a voice message.

Sometimes, you end up sending a message with a typo or accidentally the wrong person. Don’t worry. There’s an option to recall the message. Look for this word by holding on the message.

撤回

chè huí

Recall (the message)

In a professional work environment, it has become an etiquette for Chinese people to confirm the receipt of important messages. You usually respond with this simple phrase to ensure that the message is delivered.

Do you have any other tips to write emails and messages for business in Chinese? We’d love to hear from you in our comments section! And if you want to go deeper, check out our guide to business vocabulary and email phrases for even more useful terms.

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Writing Business Emails and WeChat Messages || FAQs

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