Workplace Phrases in Chinese 职场用语
zhíchǎng yòngyǔ
Workplace phrases in Chinese is 职场用语 (zhí chǎng yòng yǔ).
Also searched for as: business chinese phrases, work phrases, office phrases.
What do you say at work all day? 15 essential workplace phrases 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 Chinese office runs on a handful of short, polite set phrases. 收到 (shōu dào), 'received', is the standard reply to an instruction, 辛苦了 (xīn kǔ le) thanks someone for their effort, and 麻烦你了 (má fan nǐ le) acknowledges that you've asked a favour. Master these and you'll sound far more natural in meetings, emails and work group chats.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 收到 | shōu dào | got it; received |
| 辛苦了 | xīn kǔ le | thanks for your hard work |
| 我来处理 | wǒ lái chǔ lǐ | I'll handle it |
| 麻烦你了 | má fan nǐ le | thanks for the trouble |
| 尽快 | jǐn kuài | as soon as possible |
| 跟进 | gēn jìn | to follow up |
| 确认 | què rèn | to confirm |
| 同步 | tóng bù | to keep everyone updated |
| 请假 | qǐng jià | to ask for leave |
| 加班 | jiā bān | to work overtime |
| 下班了 | xià bān le | time to go home |
| 有空吗 | yǒu kòng ma | got a minute? |
| 没问题 | méi wèn tí | no problem |
| 稍等 | shāo děng | just a moment |
| 好的 | hǎo de | OK; will do |
Usage tips
- In work group chats, a quick 收到 is the expected reply when a manager posts a notice or instruction, so everyone knows you've seen it.
- A natural, modest reply to 辛苦了 is 不辛苦 (bù xīn kǔ), 'it was no trouble', or 应该的 (yīng gāi de), 'it's my job'.
- 麻烦你 at the start of a request works like "could you please": 麻烦你帮我看一下 (má fan nǐ bāng wǒ kàn yī xià), "could you have a look at this for me?".
Common mistakes
- Translating "thank you for your hard work" word for word as 谢谢你的努力工作 → it sounds stilted; just say 辛苦了 (xīn kǔ le).
- Replying to a written request with a bare 好 or 嗯 → in work messages this can feel curt, so 好的 (hǎo de) or 好的，收到 (hǎo de, shōu dào) is the safer choice.
- Reading 空 in 有空吗 as kōng → when it means free time it's kòng: 有空吗 (yǒu kòng ma).
Mini dialogue
- A小李，你现在有空吗？Xiǎo Lǐ, nǐ xiàn zài yǒu kòng ma?Xiao Li, have you got a minute?
- B有，什么事？Yǒu, shén me shì?Sure, what's up?
- A客户刚才来电话了，麻烦你跟进一下，尽快给他们回复。Kè hù gāng cái lái diàn huà le, má fan nǐ gēn jìn yī xià, jǐn kuài gěi tā men huí fù.The client just rang. Could you follow up and get back to them as soon as possible?
- B好的，收到，我来处理。Hǎo de, shōu dào, wǒ lái chǔ lǐ.OK, got it, I'll handle it.
- A辛苦了！Xīn kǔ le!Thanks for that!
- B不辛苦，应该的。Bù xīn kǔ, yīng gāi de.No trouble, it's my job.
Example sentences
- 收到，我马上处理。Got it, I'll deal with it right away.
- 大家辛苦了！Thanks for your hard work, everyone!
- 这件事我来处理。I'll handle this.
- 麻烦你了，谢谢！Thanks so much for doing that!
- 请尽快回复。Please reply as soon as possible.
- 我会跟进这个项目。I'll follow up on this project.
- 请确认一下时间。Please confirm the time.
- 我们开会同步一下进度。Let's have a meeting to share progress.
- 我明天请一天假。I'm taking tomorrow off.
- 今晚又要加班。Overtime again tonight.
- 下班了，明天见！Home time, see you tomorrow!
- 你现在有空吗？Have you got a minute?
- 没问题，交给我。No problem, leave it to me.
- 请稍等，我查一下。Just a moment, let me check.
- 好的，我知道了。OK, understood.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Workplace phrases speaking island has 8 everyday questions about workplace phrases to prepare your own answers to.