My Journal

Business Chinese is a more formal way of using Chinese. The sentence structures and chosen of words are of more of the advanced type.

Highlights: 

While reading samples below, one could distinguish the following practice for fomal Chinese:

. For respect use 您 instead of 你

. Most of the time uses pairing words. For example: Use 寻找 instead of  找,召见 instead of 见, etc.

. To say "your company",  instead of 你的公司 use 贵公司

Quick TIP:

• Check out how sentences are structured for formal business conversation.
• For many cases, there's no other way than to memorize the sentences. Keep using it, and all will come natural after practice.

To invite someone to attend something

A: 我们非常希望您能出息。or 希望你能前来参加。

Both of these mean: I hope you can come

B: 好吧， 我参加。 Ok, I will attend.

A: 我马上给你发请柬。I will send you the invitation right away.

To give gifts

A: 我们准备一些小礼物， 请您收下。

B: 这太不好意思了。

A: 这只是一点儿小小的心意， 不成敬意， 请笑纳。 Red fonts mean: A little token to show my respect, please accept.

B: 你们太客气了。 谢谢。

In a banquet

A: 您就是总经理。 欢迎！

B: 谢谢贵公司的款待。（Notice we use 贵 for formal occasion. 贵公司=your [company])Thanks for your hospitality（款待）.

A: 大家请入席 （入席=take a seat)

A: 祝我们双方的合作取得圆满成功。Wish our collaboration a total success.

B: 有机会与贵公司合作我们非常荣幸。We feel honored (荣幸) to collaborate with your company.

Pay a bill in a restaurant

A: 买单 A common way of asking the waitress for a bill

B: 我来吧   let me do it (in this case, let me be the one who pays the bill).

A: 哪能让您破费: how could I let you pay the bill.

B: 就算是我的一点儿心意吧。 A token of my feeling/a sign of my thanks.

A: 不行! Or 您太客气了。 还是我来吧。

B: 谢谢你的款待。

A: 不用客气.

Meeting with boss

A: 我们孙总想找你谈谈

B：他要召见我，那太好了。 （wants to see me for boss to staff）

A:那约个时间吧。 下星期二下午三点怎么样？

Ｂ：行，　我安排一下工作，一定及时赶到。Will make necessary arrangement, will come on time.

Ａ：你好，　请李经理接电话。　（may I speak with manager Li）

B: 他不在， 出去谈业务了。 （business negotiation）您打他的手机吧。

A: 手机接不通。（Can’t get trough）我到处找他。Have looked all over the place. 

B: 您有急事吗？我可以转告. （formal way of 告诉, I will tell him）

A: 请他立即给我回电话。 （please have return  my call ASAP）

Holding a meeting and making  schedule

A: 上个季度各部门的工作做的不错， 业绩都有提高。但是竞争也越来越激烈。

Last quarter all divisions did well and had more achievements.  But the competition is harder than before.

今天召集大家， 主要是布置新的工作。 寻找新客户的工作， 由你负责。促销工作由小丁主管. 首先要制定出促销方案。 我出差的日程怎么样？

The main reason today's gathering is to make new work arrangements. Looking for new customers will be your responsibility. Xiao Ding will be in charged of sales. First must work out the sales plan. How is the plan of my business trip?

Note:  寻找 is used instead of a stand alone 找。Also how 由 is used to mean: in charge or done by.   

召集: gather       布置: arrange     主管: will be in charge of

制定: work out   出差: business trip

Ｂ：　已经安排好了。

Already worked out

A: 我看看。。。。。 Let me see...

这次去上海业务活动很多。最好取消娱乐活动。  时间安排在具体一点儿。

The Shang Hai trip has too much things to do. Cancel the recreation one. The timetable needs to be more concrete.

B: 那我重新安排一下吧。

In that case, I will revise it.

Meeting

A: 马经理

马经理：(talking on the phone...)。。。。。。好，好，就谈到这里吧，有人找我。

Ok, let's stop here someone wants to talk to me.

(Talk to A): 找我有事吗？

A: 你的电话一直占线. Your phone is always busy

马经理: 公事， 公事， 不是私人电话！ Business calls, not personal.

A: 一会儿六点在六层会议室开会。 There's a meeting in the sixth floor meeting room.

马经理：好。(talking to oneself)看来晚上的约会有完了。 It seems I need to cancel the meeting tonight again.

  To everyone:

马经理: 刚才接到通知， 一会儿一上班就去开会。。。。。。

or can say: 刚才来了一个通知。。。。