Chinese for Work | HSK Study Notes

Business Chinese becomes easier when you stop translating formal English sentence by sentence. Aim for a clear request, a specific deadline, and a confirmation of who will do what. Politeness in Chinese business language comes from a few fixed markers — mainly 您 (nín), 请 (qǐng) and 麻烦 (máfan) — not from long, indirect sentences.

The four workhorse phrases

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
我确认一下再回复您。	Wǒ quèrèn yíxià zài huífù nín.	I’ll confirm and reply to you.
麻烦您…	Máfan nín…	Could I trouble you to…
截止时间是…	Jiézhǐ shíjiān shì…	The deadline is…
由我负责。	Yóu wǒ fùzé.	I will take responsibility for it.

If you learn nothing else on this page, learn these four. Between them they cover checking before you commit, asking for something, naming a time, and claiming ownership — the four moves that make up most working conversations.

Meeting someone for the first time

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
很高兴认识您。	Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nín.	Very pleased to meet you.
我是〜公司的〜。	Wǒ shì ~ gōngsī de ~.	I am ~ from ~ company.
这是我的名片。	Zhè shì wǒ de míngpiàn.	This is my business card.
谢谢您抽出时间。	Xièxie nín chōuchū shíjiān.	Thank you for making time.
以后请多指教。	Yǐhòu qǐng duō zhǐjiào.	I hope you will guide me from here on.

很高兴认识您 (Hěn gāoxìng rènshi nín) is the safe default for a first meeting anywhere. 请多指教 (qǐng duō zhǐjiào) and its cousin 请多关照 (qǐng duō guānzhào) are set phrases asking for the other side’s guidance and goodwill; they sound formal and are optional, so treat them as something you recognize when you hear it rather than a line you must produce.

State your company before your name — 我是〜公司的〜 (Wǒ shì ~ gōngsī de ~) — which is the reverse of the usual English order and worth rehearsing out loud before a first meeting. More on turning this into a proper self-introduction is in interviews and self-introduction.

Making a request

麻烦您帮我看一下。 (Máfan nín bāng wǒ kàn yíxià.) — Could I ask you to take a look at this?
请问截止日期是什么时候？ (Qǐngwèn jiézhǐ rìqī shì shénme shíhou?) — May I ask what the deadline is?
这个由谁负责？ (Zhège yóu shéi fùzé?) — Who is responsible for this?
我们什么时候开始？ (Wǒmen shénme shíhou kāishǐ?) — When do we start?

麻烦您 (máfan nín) literally means “to trouble you”, and it is the standard softener for asking someone to do something. It does the job that a long English construction like “I was wondering whether you might possibly be able to…” does — but in three syllables. Longer is not politer in Chinese; clearer is.

Saying yes, saying not yet, saying no

没问题，我来处理。 (Méi wèntí, wǒ lái chǔlǐ.) — No problem, I will handle it.
我需要确认一下时间。 (Wǒ xūyào quèrèn yíxià shíjiān.) — I need to check the timing.
这个时间可能有点困难。 (Zhège shíjiān kěnéng yǒudiǎn kùnnan.) — That timing might be a little difficult.
我们可以换个时间吗？ (Wǒmen kěyǐ huàn ge shíjiān ma?) — Could we move it to another time?

有点困难 (yǒudiǎn kùnnan), “a little difficult”, is the normal way to signal that something will not work without a flat refusal. Pair it with an alternative — a later date, a reduced scope — so the conversation has somewhere to go. Declining at more length is covered in negotiating and refusing politely.

Speaking up in a meeting

我先确认一下。 (Wǒ xiān quèrèn yíxià.) — Let me confirm something first.
我有一个问题。 (Wǒ yǒu yí ge wèntí.) — I have a question.
请您再说一遍。 (Qǐng nín zài shuō yí biàn.) — Could you say that again, please?

Going quiet because you did not catch something is far more expensive at work than asking. Keep one of these ready so the pause is filled by a question rather than by silence — see checking and clarifying for more.

Conversation: do not promise before you check

Manager: 这个文件今天能发吗？
(Zhège wénjiàn jīntiān néng fā ma?)
Colleague: 我需要确认一下数据。下午三点前回复您，可以吗？
(Wǒ xūyào quèrèn yíxià shùjù. Xiàwǔ sān diǎn qián huífù nín, kěyǐ ma?)
Manager: 可以，麻烦你了。
(Kěyǐ, máfan nǐ le.)

Giving a time for your reply is more professional than an unqualified 没问题 (méi wèntí) when you still need to check. Note that the manager answers with 麻烦你了 (máfan nǐ le) using 你 (nǐ) — the direction of formality is not always symmetrical.

Conversation: moving a deadline

Manager: 周五前可以完成吗？
(Zhōuwǔ qián kěyǐ wánchéng ma?)
Colleague: 这个时间有点困难。下周一可以吗？
(Zhège shíjiān yǒudiǎn kùnnan. Xià zhōuyī kěyǐ ma?)
Manager: 可以，请发邮件确认。
(Kěyǐ, qǐng fā yóujiàn quèrèn.)

Counter with a specific date rather than “as soon as possible”. 〜前 (~ qián) after a time means “by” or “before”: 周五前 (zhōuwǔ qián) by Friday.

Conversation: close the loop after a meeting

A: 我确认一下：这个部分由我负责，周五前发给您。
(Wǒ quèrèn yíxià: zhège bùfen yóu wǒ fùzé, zhōuwǔ qián fā gěi nín.)
B: 对，如果有问题请提前告诉我。
(Duì, rúguǒ yǒu wèntí qǐng tíqián gàosu wǒ.)

我确认一下 (Wǒ quèrèn yíxià) is a useful signal that you are summarizing, not challenging the other person. Say the owner and deadline out loud.

Putting it in writing

Two closings cover most messages: 期待您的回复。 (Qīdài nín de huífù.) — “I look forward to your reply” — and 非常感谢您的帮助。 (Fēicháng gǎnxiè nín de bāngzhù.) — “Thank you very much for your help.”

Everything else about written requests, status updates and handovers lives in work chat and email, which follows the same principle as speech: say what you are sending, what you need, and by when.

Professional tone

Use 您 (nín) where the workplace relationship calls for it. In many teams, colleagues use 你 (nǐ); mirror the norm rather than forcing formality. Listen for which one your counterpart uses with you and follow it — over-formality with a close colleague reads as distance, not respect.

Takeaway

Lead with the request, the deadline and the owner; politeness markers are short and fixed.
When you cannot answer, name the time you will reply instead of saying 没问题 (méi wèntí).
Mirror your counterpart’s level of formality rather than defaulting to the most formal option.

Related: run the meeting itself with meetings and tasks, then confirm in writing using work chat and email.

By the end of this chapter, you can say

没问题，我需要确认一下时间。 (Méi wèntí, wǒ xūyào quèrèn yíxià shíjiān.)

Practical note for this chapter

Coordinate with classmates, colleagues and customers with clear, dependable Mandarin. In this chapter, practice giving a short response and then checking what matters.

Use it in context

A: 这个文件今天能发吗？ (Zhège wénjiàn jīntiān néng fā ma?)
B: 没问题，我需要确认一下时间。 (Méi wèntí, wǒ xūyào quèrèn yíxià shíjiān.)

Phrase map for this chapter

Question or situation: 这个文件今天能发吗？ (Zhège wénjiàn jīntiān néng fā ma?)
Central response: 没问题，我需要确认一下时间。 (Méi wèntí, wǒ xūyào quèrèn yíxià shíjiān.)
Another natural way to say it: 这个文件我还要核对一下，下午五点前给您回复。 (Zhège wénjiàn wǒ hái yào héduì yíxià, xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn qián gěi nín huífù.); Use this variation in a situation you genuinely expect to handle.
How to use it: Listen to the model once, then say it again with one detail from your own situation.

Turn the model into three conversation turns

1. Open the situation这个文件今天能发吗？ (Zhège wénjiàn jīntiān néng fā ma?)
2. Say the central response没问题，我需要确认一下时间。 (Méi wèntí, wǒ xūyào quèrèn yíxià shíjiān.)
3. Add an alternative这个文件我还要核对一下，下午五点前给您回复。 (Zhège wénjiàn wǒ hái yào héduì yíxià, xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn qián gěi nín huífù.)

Before acting, check the point most likely to cause a misunderstanding. This dialogue is for practice. For important decisions, confirm official guidance as well.

A useful variation

Keep the same purpose, then change the person, time or place to make it your own.

这个文件我还要核对一下，下午五点前给您回复。 (Zhège wénjiàn wǒ hái yào héduì yíxià, xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn qián gěi nín huífù.)

Use this variation in a situation you genuinely expect to handle.

Listen to the model once, then say it again with one detail from your own situation.

A common trap

For important details, do not decide from what you think you heard; check written information when needed.

尚未确认时不要承诺完成；先说明下一次回复的时间。 (Shàngwèi quèrèn shí bú yào chéngnuò wánchéng; xiān shuōmíng xià yí cì huífù de shíjiān.)

This dialogue is for practice. For important decisions, confirm official guidance as well.

Three-step practice

Open the situation in one short phrase
Say the central response
Add one detail of your own

Chinese for Work — Introductions, Requests, Deadlines and Follow-Up