Study Tips
Business Chinese: Introductions, Meetings and Clear Requests
Business Chinese is most useful when you learn it around tasks: introduce your role, arrange a meeting, ask for clarification, confirm a deadline and follow up. You do not need an impressive list of technical nouns to begin. You do need enough general Mandarin to understand the reply and check that both sides mean the same thing.
Introduce your role, not just your company
“我是……” introduces who you are; “我负责……” says what you are responsible for. 负责 can be followed by an area of work or a task. It helps the other person understand why you are contacting them.
名片 is a business card, 部门 a department, and 同事 a colleague. A title on a business card may require explanation rather than a word-for-word translation into another company’s hierarchy. Ask about responsibility if the title alone is unclear.
您好，我是李明，负责客户沟通。
Nín hǎo, wǒ shì Lǐ Míng, fù zé kè hù gōu tōng.
这位是我的同事王静。
Zhè wèi shì wǒ de tóng shì Wáng Jìng.
位 is a polite measure word for people.
Arrange a meeting and confirm the details
开会 means to have a meeting. 会议 is the meeting as a noun; 会议室 is the meeting room. 线上 means online. Include the date, time, duration and location or joining link when they matter.
有空 asks about availability; 方便吗 asks whether a proposal is convenient. Neither should be used as a substitute for stating the proposed time. “明天下午” may be insufficient across countries or time zones.
周三下午两点开会，您方便吗？
Zhōu sān xià wǔ liǎng diǎn kāi huì, nín fāng biàn ma?
我们再确认一下时间和地点。
Wǒ men zài què rèn yí xià shí jiān hé dì diǎn.
Clarify before agreeing
“您的意思是……吗？” checks your interpretation: “Do you mean…?” “能再解释一下吗？” asks for another explanation. These are practical skills, not admissions of failure. A polite nod does not prove that a detail was understood.
Distinguish “可以” from a firm commitment. 可以 may indicate possibility or permission in context; it does not always provide a completed agreement about responsibility and timing. Summarize the actual next action.
您的意思是周五之前提交，对吗？
Nín de yì si shì zhōu wǔ zhī qián tí jiāo, duì ma?
Confirm the exact deadline if “before Friday” is ambiguous.
我可以周四发给您，您看可以吗？
Wǒ kě yǐ zhōu sì fā gěi nín, nín kàn kě yǐ ma?
A small study routine built around real tasks
First learn the vocabulary list, then say each request without looking. Change the day, the time and the deliverable. Finally, practice a reply that says the proposed time does not work. You need both sides of the exchange.
Use the email guide to turn the same exchange into writing, and the BCT guide if you are considering a business-language assessment. These articles and their lists support practice; they are not a complete accredited business course or a promise of exam readiness.
Vocabulary to keep
Words and expressions in this article. Open a word in the dictionary to explore its readings and meanings.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning in this lesson |
|---|---|---|
| 负责 | fù zé | to be responsible for |
| 客户 | kè hù | client; customer |
| 沟通 | gōu tōng | to communicate; communication |
| 同事 | tóng shì | colleague |
| 部门 | bù mén | department |
| 名片 | míng piàn | business card |
| 会议 | huì yì | meeting; conference |
| 提交 | tí jiāo | to submit |
| 截止日期 | jié zhǐ rì qī | deadline date |
| 确认 | què rèn | to confirm |
| 解释 | jiě shì | to explain |
| 安排 | ān pái | to arrange |
How to use these words
负责
负责 can identify responsibility for a task, team or area: 负责客户沟通 means being responsible for customer communication. It does not by itself establish a senior job title. Use it to say what you actually handle, then add the scope if needed. 我负责这个项目 and 我参与这个项目 make different claims about ownership.
我负责安排下周的会议。
Wǒ fù zé ān pái xià zhōu de huì yì.
The action after 负责 makes the responsibility concrete.
确认
确认 means confirming or verifying information. It is not always the same as agreeing to a proposal. A person may confirm that they received a document while still reviewing its contents. Name exactly what needs checking, such as the time, quantity or deadline, and ask a separate question if you need approval.
我想确认一下，截止日期是周五吗？
Wǒ xiǎng què rèn yí xià, jié zhǐ rì qī shì zhōu wǔ ma?
The question isolates one detail that both people can verify.
Check your understanding
Choose an answer or say your own response before opening the explanation.
You heard a deadline but are unsure whether it means Thursday evening or Friday evening. Should you silently choose one?
Show answer and explanation
No. Ask for the exact date and time, then repeat the agreed deadline. The skill being practiced is clarification, not guessing.
Introduce yourself as the person responsible for a project.
Show answer and explanation
我是李明，负责这个项目。 (Wǒ shì Lǐ Míng, fù zé zhè ge xiàng mù.) Replace the name and task with truthful details.
Common questions
Should I learn business nouns before everyday Mandarin?
Learn them together around tasks. A meeting requires ordinary words for dates, availability, negation and clarification as well as 会议. Specialized nouns are useful only when you can understand what someone asks you to do with them.
What can I practice without a business partner?
Take a short notice and state who must do what by when. Write a reply that confirms one detail, then change the deadline and revise the reply. This checks communication instead of recognition alone.
Keep learning
References and further reading
Examples and practice in this lesson are original. Usage varies with the speaker, relationship and setting.