Business Chinese

In Brief

Business Chinese is not simply everyday Chinese with technical nouns added. Effective professional communication combines precise collocations (words that conventionally occur together), such as 签订合同 “conclude a contract,” with polite framing such as 烦请确认 “please confirm” and structured topic phrases such as 关于…… or 就……而言. The goal is clarity, appropriate formality, and a clear next action—not maximum complexity.

Overview

At C1, you already have the grammar needed to describe events, make requests, and express opinions. Business settings place different demands on that grammar: responsibilities must be unambiguous, requests should be courteous without becoming vague, and discussions need clear transitions. You will meet these patterns in emails, proposals, meetings, negotiations, contracts, and conversations with clients or partners.

Chinese business style often sounds compact to an English-speaking learner. There may be no equivalent of “I was wondering if you might possibly…,” yet a request can still be polite because it uses 您, 请, 烦请, a reason, or a deadline softened with 前 “by/before.” Conversely, translating a short English instruction word for word can sound abrupt. Compare Send me the revised quotation with 烦请您于周五前发送修改后的报价单: the Chinese sentence states the action and deadline directly but frames them respectfully.

This topic builds on formal written Chinese. Some formal verbs—进行 “carry out,” 予以 “give/provide,” and 就 “with regard to”—are useful, but they should not be inserted everywhere. Strong business Chinese moves between formal written wording, neutral professional speech, and plain language according to the situation.

How It Works

Build around established business collocations

A collocation is a word combination that speakers regularly choose. Learning the whole combination is safer than memorizing isolated translations.

Area	Natural combination	Meaning and use
contracts	签订合同 / 履行合同 / 终止合同	conclude / perform / terminate a contract
negotiation	进行谈判 / 达成共识 / 作出让步	conduct negotiations / reach consensus / make a concession
investment	进行投资 / 吸引投资 / 投资于某领域	invest / attract investment / invest in a field
cooperation	开展合作 / 加强合作 / 合作伙伴	begin or conduct cooperation / strengthen cooperation / partner
proposals	提出方案 / 修改方案 / 采纳方案	put forward / revise / adopt a proposal
decisions	作出决定 / 批准申请 / 确认安排	make a decision / approve an application / confirm arrangements
risk	评估风险 / 降低风险 / 承担风险	assess / reduce / bear risk
payment	支付款项 / 结清款项 / 逾期付款	make payment / settle the amount / late payment

English often uses one broad verb—“make,” “do,” or “have”—where Chinese selects a conventional partner. For example, 达成协议 is natural for “reach an agreement”; 做协议 is not.

Put the topic before the action

Business communication frequently establishes the scope first. This makes a long message or meeting contribution easier to follow.

Pattern	Function	Example
关于 + noun phrase，……	introduces the subject	关于交货日期，我们想再确认一下。
就 + issue + verb phrase	focuses action on an issue	双方将就价格进行谈判。
针对 + situation/problem，……	responds specifically to something	针对这一问题，我们提出以下方案。
在……方面，……	limits the statement to an area	在质量控制方面，我们已经采取了新措施。
就……而言，……	marks the perspective being considered	就成本而言，第二个方案更可行。

关于 can introduce an entire message or sentence topic. 就 is more tightly connected to an action or viewpoint: 就此问题进行讨论 means “discuss this issue,” while 就成本而言 means “as far as cost is concerned.” 针对 suggests a targeted response, so it is especially common before a solution or measure.

Make requests polite and operational

A useful professional request usually contains four elements: context, requested action, timing, and sometimes appreciation.

关于合同中的付款条款，烦请您于周三前确认。如有疑问，请随时与我联系。
Regarding the payment terms in the contract, please confirm them by Wednesday. If you have any questions, please contact me at any time.

The elements can be adjusted to the relationship:

Expression	Typical force	Best use
请……	neutral polite request	most routine spoken and written requests
请您……	respectful and explicit	clients, senior contacts, first exchanges
麻烦您……	courteous, slightly conversational	asking someone to take some trouble
烦请……	concise and formal	professional email and formal correspondence
劳烦……	very courteous; somewhat more marked	genuine inconvenience or especially polite requests
务必……	strong: “be sure to”	important compliance or deadline; use carefully

请查收附件 is a conventional email line meaning “Please find/check the attachment.” 查收 combines receiving and checking that something has arrived; it does not necessarily ask for a detailed review. If you need substantive feedback, say 请审阅附件并提出意见 “Please review the attachment and provide comments.”

State time, conditions, and responsibility clearly

Chinese verbs do not change tense as English verbs do. Time words, aspect markers, modal verbs, and context show whether an action is planned, completed, or required.

• 我方将于下周提交正式报价。 — Our side will submit the formal quotation next week.
• 我方已收到贵方的确认函。 — We have received your confirmation letter.
• 双方应按照合同约定履行义务。 — Both parties shall perform their obligations as stipulated in the contract.
• 如未按时付款，将产生滞纳金。 — If payment is not made on time, a late fee will arise.

In contracts and policies, 应 often expresses an obligation comparable to “shall,” while 可 marks permission or possibility. 将 points forward or presents a consequence. Their exact legal effect depends on the document and jurisdiction, so language learners should not treat a general phrase list as legal drafting advice.

For parties, 我方 means “our side/party” and 贵方 respectfully means “your side/party.” These are useful in formal exchanges but stiff in a friendly internal chat. A contract may instead define named parties such as 甲方 “Party A” and 乙方 “Party B.”

Organize professional emails

A clear email can follow this sequence:

1. Salutation: 王经理，您好： or 尊敬的王经理：
2. Purpose/context: 关于双方的合作方案，我想确认以下两点。
3. Details: use short paragraphs or numbered points.
4. Action: 烦请您于本周五前确认。
5. Closing: 感谢您的配合。期待您的回复。
6. Name and organization: often placed on separate lines.

您好 is warm and professional; 尊敬的…… is more formal. 期待您的回复 is a natural closing when a reply is genuinely expected. Avoid adding it automatically to a message that requires no response.

Manage meetings and disagreement

Meetings require language for opening topics, holding the floor, checking understanding, and disagreeing constructively.

Purpose	Useful pattern
introduce an item	接下来，我们讨论一下……
invite a view	您对这个方案有什么看法？
clarify	您的意思是……，对吗？
partly agree	我同意您的基本思路，不过……
raise a concern	我们主要担心的是……
propose a compromise	我建议双方各让一步。
summarize	我来总结一下刚才达成的共识。
assign follow-up	会后由市场部整理并发送会议纪要。

The pattern 先肯定，后转折—acknowledge first, then introduce a contrast—can make disagreement easier to receive: 这个方向值得考虑，不过时间安排可能需要调整。 It is not a rigid grammar rule, but it is a valuable professional discourse strategy.

Examples in Context

Chinese	English	Note
我们来谈谈合作的事。	Let’s discuss the cooperation.	Neutral spoken invitation; suitable for a less formal meeting.
请查收附件。	Please find the attachment.	Conventional concise email wording.
期待您的回复。	I look forward to your reply.	Polite closing when a response is expected.
双方将就此问题进行讨论。	The two parties will discuss this issue.	就 marks the topic; 进行 gives a formal written tone.
关于交货时间，我们需要再确认一下。	Regarding the delivery time, we need to confirm it once more.	Topic-first structure; 一下 softens the action.
烦请您于本周五前发送修改后的报价单。	Please send the revised quotation by this Friday.	Formal request with a precise deadline.
我方已收到贵方提交的合作方案。	We have received the cooperation proposal submitted by your side.	Formal party labels used in external communication.
如果订单数量增加，我们可以重新协商价格。	If the order quantity increases, we can renegotiate the price.	Clear condition followed by a possible response.
双方最终就付款方式达成了共识。	The two sides ultimately reached consensus on the payment method.	Natural collocation 达成共识.
这项投资可能带来长期收益，但也存在一定风险。	This investment may bring long-term returns, but it also involves some risk.	Balanced assessment with 但也.
我理解贵方的顾虑，不过目前的预算确实有限。	I understand your concerns, but the current budget is genuinely limited.	Acknowledgment before disagreement.
您的意思是先进行小规模试点，对吗？	Do you mean that we should run a small-scale pilot first?	Checks understanding without assuming agreement.
合同经双方签字后生效。	The contract takes effect after both parties sign it.	经……后 presents a formal condition or procedure.
如需调整会议时间，请提前告知。	If the meeting time needs to be changed, please let us know in advance.	Compact formal conditional with 如需.
会后我会把会议纪要发给各位。	After the meeting, I will send the minutes to everyone.	Natural neutral professional speech.

Common Mistakes

Translating “do a negotiation” word for word

• Wrong: 我们明天做谈判。
• Right: 我们明天进行谈判。 / 我们明天谈判。
• Why: 进行谈判 is the formal collocation; the plain verb 谈判 is also possible. 做谈判 is not the normal combination.

Using 进行 to make every sentence sound professional

• Awkward: 请进行回复。
• Natural: 请回复。 / 烦请回复。
• Why: 进行 works well with activity nouns such as 讨论、调查、评估. When a simple verb is already clear, adding it makes the sentence heavy.

Confusing 查收 with a request for review

• Unclear: 请查收合同。 when detailed approval is required
• Clear: 请审阅合同，并于周五前确认是否同意。
• Why: 查收 mainly asks the recipient to receive/check the attachment. 审阅 explicitly asks for careful review.

Omitting the topic marker after 就

• Wrong: 我们就讨论价格。
• Right: 我们就价格进行讨论。 / 我们讨论价格。
• Why: In the formal pattern, 就 comes before the matter being discussed: 就 + topic + action. Do not confuse this 就 with the adverb 就 meaning “then,” “right away,” or “only.”

Making an external request too abrupt

• Abrupt: 明天发报价单。
• Better: 请您明天发送报价单。
• More formal: 烦请您于明天下班前发送报价单。
• Why: The bare instruction can suit notes between close colleagues, but an external request normally needs a polite marker and, when relevant, a deadline.

Overusing 贵方 and 我方

• Stiff in a team chat: 我方下午开会，你方参加吗？
• Natural: 我们下午开会，你参加吗？
• Why: 我方/贵方 frame organizations as parties. Use ordinary pronouns for familiar colleagues and everyday internal communication.

Usage Notes

Business Chinese is a range of registers, not one uniform “formal language.” A contract favors defined terms, repetition, and impersonal structures. An external email may use 贵公司、烦请、敬请. A meeting often uses neutral spoken forms such as 我们先看一下第二个问题. An internal chat can be shorter still: 报价单改好了吗？ Matching the channel and relationship matters more than choosing the most formal expression available.

Chinese courtesy is often carried by titles and framing. 王经理、李总、陈老师 may be more natural than repeatedly using a name alone. 您 shows respect to one person; usage for multiple people varies, and 各位 or 大家 is often clearer when addressing a group. Titles and preferred forms differ across organizations, so follow the practice used by your contacts.

Be careful with fixed English email habits. “Dear” does not require a literal 亲爱的 in a professional Chinese message; 尊敬的王经理 or 王经理，您好 is normally more appropriate. Likewise, English “Best regards” has several possible Chinese closings, but many modern emails simply end with 谢谢, 感谢您的配合, or 期待您的回复 plus a signature. Very traditional paired closings such as 此致 / 敬礼 remain recognizable, especially in formal letters, but are not mandatory in every workplace email.

Abbreviations are common inside organizations, but they can exclude new partners. On first mention, write the full term—such as 采购订单 “purchase order”—before using an accepted abbreviation. Precision also matters with dates and numbers: writing 2026年7月15日 is less ambiguous than a purely numeric date, and contracts should state currencies and units explicitly.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

At an advanced level, effectiveness depends on stance—how strongly you commit to a claim or proposal. Compare the following scale:

Wording	Typical stance
我们认为这个方案不可行。	direct judgment: we consider it unworkable
我们认为这个方案可能不太可行。	softened judgment
从目前的数据来看，这个方案仍存在一定风险。	evidence-framed concern
建议进一步评估该方案的可行性。	indirect recommendation for more evaluation

Softening is not always better. In safety instructions, contractual obligations, or urgent risk communication, excessive hedging can hide the required action. 请务必于今日完成数据备份 is appropriate if the backup is genuinely mandatory. The advanced skill is to align force with responsibility.

Formal nominal structures can package actions as topics: 对供应链风险进行评估 instead of 评估供应链风险. The longer version helps when the phrase has modifiers or belongs to a parallel list, but the shorter verb is usually clearer in ordinary communication. Similar caution applies to 予以: 予以批准、予以支持、予以说明 are established formal combinations, yet 批准、支持、说明 often work perfectly well.

Negotiation language also distinguishes positions from shared interests. 我们的底线是…… states a firm limit; 我们希望…… states a preference; 是否可以考虑……？ opens a possibility; and 在……的前提下，我们可以…… offers a conditional concession. For example: 在保证质量的前提下，我们可以考虑缩短交货周期。 “Provided quality is guaranteed, we can consider shortening the delivery period.” This pattern makes the condition attached to an offer explicit.

Finally, legal and financial terms may have specialized meanings that ordinary dictionaries do not capture. For high-stakes contracts, translations and wording should be reviewed by a qualified professional familiar with the relevant jurisdiction. Language proficiency helps you communicate accurately; it does not replace legal or financial advice.

Practice Tips

1. Build collocation cards, not single-word cards. Record 合同 together with 签订、履行、终止, and write one sentence for each combination.
2. Rewrite one message in three registers. Ask for a quotation as an internal chat, a normal client email, and a formal letter. Compare your choices of pronouns, titles, request markers, and deadlines.
3. Simulate a short meeting. Practice four moves aloud: introduce an issue, ask for an opinion, disagree politely, and summarize the decision. Record yourself and check whether every pronoun and topic has a clear reference.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Formal Written Style — provides formal structures such as 进行, 予以, and topic framing that appear in professional documents.