Business Trips in Chinese 出差
chūchāi
Go on a business trip in Chinese is 出差 (chū chāi).
Also searched for as: business trip, travel for work.
What about working away? 15 essential business trips 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.
A business trip in Chinese is 出差 (chū chāi), and it's used as a verb: 我去上海出差 (wǒ qù Shàng hǎi chū chāi) means "I'm going to Shanghai on business". This list covers the whole journey, from your 行程 (xíng chéng) and hotel booking to swapping 名片 (míng piàn) with clients and keeping every 发票 (fā piào) so you can claim your expenses afterwards.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 出差 | chū chāi | to go on a business trip |
| 行程 | xíng chéng | itinerary |
| 订机票 | dìng jī piào | to book flights |
| 订酒店 | dìng jiǔ diàn | to book a hotel |
| 报销 | bào xiāo | to claim expenses |
| 发票 | fā piào | invoice; receipt |
| 拜访 | bài fǎng | to visit (formally) |
| 接待 | jiē dài | to host; to receive |
| 名片 | míng piàn | business card |
| 时差 | shí chā | jet lag; time difference |
| 会议 | huì yì | conference; meeting |
| 出差补贴 | chū chāi bǔ tiē | travel allowance |
| 回来 | huí lai | to come back |
| 商务 | shāng wù | business |
| 忙 | máng | busy |
Usage tips
- In mainland China a 发票 (fā piào) is an official tax receipt, and you usually need one to 报销 (bào xiāo), claim back expenses. Ask for one with 能开发票吗？ (néng kāi fā piào ma?).
- When you're given a 名片 (míng piàn), take it with both hands and look at it for a moment before putting it away; stuffing it straight into a pocket can seem dismissive.
- 时差 (shí chā) is the time difference; getting over jet lag is 倒时差 (dǎo shí chā), as in 我还在倒时差.
Common mistakes
- Reading 差 in 出差 as chà → here it's chāi, 出差 (chū chāi); chà means 'poor' or 'lacking', as in 很差 (hěn chà).
- Using 参观 for visiting a client, as in 参观客户 → 参观 (cān guān) is for visiting places like museums or factories; for people and companies say 拜访客户 (bài fǎng kè hù).
Mini dialogue
- A听说你下周要去北京出差？Tīng shuō nǐ xià zhōu yào qù Běi jīng chū chāi?I hear you're going to Beijing on business next week?
- B对，去拜访两个客户，还要参加一个会议。Duì, qù bài fǎng liǎng gè kè hù, hái yào cān jiā yī gè huì yì.That's right. I'm visiting two clients and going to a conference.
- A机票和酒店都订好了吗？Jī piào hé jiǔ diàn dōu dìng hǎo le ma?Have you booked your flights and hotel?
- B订好了，行程也安排好了。Dìng hǎo le, xíng chéng yě ān pái hǎo le.Yes, and the itinerary's all sorted.
- A别忘了带名片，每张发票都要留好，回来才能报销。Bié wàng le dài míng piàn, měi zhāng fā piào dōu yào liú hǎo, huí lai cái néng bào xiāo.Don't forget your business cards, and keep every receipt so you can claim your expenses when you're back.
- B放心吧，我都记着呢。Fàng xīn ba, wǒ dōu jì zhe ne.Don't worry, I've got it all in hand.
Example sentences
- 我下周去上海出差。I'm going to Shanghai on business next week.
- 这是你的行程安排。Here's your itinerary.
- 公司帮我订机票。The company books my flights.
- 酒店已经订好了。The hotel's already booked.
- 出差的费用可以报销。Business trip costs can be claimed back.
- 别忘了要发票。Don't forget to ask for a receipt.
- 我去拜访一个客户。I'm going to visit a client.
- 他们公司接待我们很热情。Their company gave us a warm welcome.
- 这是我的名片。Here's my business card.
- 我还在倒时差。I'm still getting over jet lag.
- 我去北京参加会议。I'm going to Beijing for a conference.
- 出差有补贴。There's an allowance for business trips.
- 你什么时候出差回来？When are you back from your trip?
- 他坐商务舱。He flies business class.
- 这周出差，特别忙。I'm on a trip this week, really busy.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Business trips speaking island has 8 everyday questions about business trips to prepare your own answers to.