Business etiquette in Chinese 商务礼仪

shāngwù lǐyí

Business etiquette in Chinese is 商务礼仪 (shāng wù lǐ yí).

Also searched for as: Chinese business culture, business manners, business card etiquette, how to address people at work.

Cards with both hands, titles first, and mind the face. 15 essential business etiquette words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.

Business etiquette in China starts before anyone sits down: titles, business cards and modest set phrases set the tone. A 名片 (míng piàn), business card, is offered and received with 双手 (shuāng shǒu), both hands, and senior people are addressed by surname plus title, such as 张总 (Zhāng zǒng). Underneath it all is 面子 (miàn zi), face: helping others keep it matters as much as any rule.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
名片	míng piàn	business card
双手	shuāng shǒu	both hands
请多指教	qǐng duō zhǐ jiào	I look forward to your guidance
幸会	xìng huì	pleased to meet you
久仰大名	jiǔ yǎng dà míng	I've heard so much about you
您贵姓	nín guì xìng	may I ask your surname?
称呼	chēng hu	form of address; to address
张总	Zhāng zǒng	Mr/Ms Zhang (to a company head)
贵公司	guì gōng sī	your company (polite)
握手	wò shǒu	to shake hands
准时	zhǔn shí	on time
正装	zhèng zhuāng	formal wear; business attire
拜访	bài fǎng	to pay a visit
面子	miàn zi	face; reputation
客气	kè qi	polite; to stand on ceremony

Usage tips

总 (zǒng) is short for titles like 总经理 (zǒng jīng lǐ), general manager, but it's used generously for senior managers and business owners, so surname plus 总 is a safe, respectful address.
When you receive a card, take a moment to read it before putting it away, and avoid writing on it or stuffing it into a back pocket in front of the person.
请多指教 (qǐng duō zhǐ jiào), literally 'please give me lots of guidance', is a humble set phrase for first meetings and new jobs; it's politeness, not a request for actual instructions.

Common mistakes

Asking a business contact 你姓什么 (nǐ xìng shén me) sounds blunt; the polite form is 您贵姓 (nín guì xìng), and you answer 我姓王 (wǒ xìng Wáng) or 免贵姓王 (miǎn guì xìng Wáng), never 我贵姓.
Using someone's given name too early; stick to surname plus title, such as 王经理 (Wáng jīng lǐ) or 张总 (Zhāng zǒng), until they suggest otherwise.
Using 贵 (guì) for your own side: 贵公司 (guì gōng sī) is the polite 'your company', while your own is simply 我们公司 (wǒ men gōng sī).

Mini dialogue

A您好，请问您贵姓？Nín hǎo, qǐng wèn nín guì xìng?Hello, may I ask your surname?
B免贵姓张，这是我的名片。Miǎn guì xìng Zhāng, zhè shì wǒ de míng piàn.My surname's Zhang. Here's my card.
A张总，幸会幸会！这是我的名片，请多指教。Zhāng zǒng, xìng huì xìng huì! Zhè shì wǒ de míng piàn, qǐng duō zhǐ jiào.A real pleasure, Mr Zhang! Here's my card, I look forward to working with you.
B您太客气了。贵公司的产品我早就听说过。Nín tài kè qi le. Guì gōng sī de chǎn pǐn wǒ zǎo jiù tīng shuō guo.You're too kind. I've known about your company's products for a long time.

Example sentences

这是我的名片，请多指教。Here's my card, I look forward to working with you.
递名片要用双手。Hand over business cards with both hands.
我是新来的小李，请多指教。I'm Xiao Li, I'm new here, I look forward to learning from you.
幸会幸会，终于见面了。A pleasure, we finally meet.
王总，久仰大名！Mr Wang, I've heard so much about you!
您好，请问您贵姓？Hello, may I ask your surname?
第一次见面，不知道怎么称呼您？As it's our first meeting, how should I address you?
张总，这位是我们的新同事。Mr Zhang, this is our new colleague.
贵公司的产品很有名。Your company's products are very well known.
见面的时候一般先握手。You usually shake hands first when you meet.
跟客户见面一定要准时。Always be on time when meeting clients.
明天开会要穿正装吗？Do we need to wear formal clothes for tomorrow's meeting?
下周我去贵公司拜访您。I'll come and visit you at your company next week.
当着客户的面，别让他没面子。Don't make him lose face in front of the client.
您太客气了，不用送了！You're too kind, no need to see me out!

Practise speaking

Ready to use these words? The Business etiquette speaking island has 8 everyday questions about business etiquette to prepare your own answers to.