Business conversation · Practical phrases · AI practice
Learn how to handle real business conversations from greetings to negotiations — what to talk about, which phrases to use, and how to keep the exchange moving.
Business Chinese conversation · 01
A business Chinese conversation is not a textbook dialogue. It moves, it surprises you, and it does not wait while you search for the right word. That is why so many learners who know plenty of vocabulary still go quiet the moment a Chinese client asks a follow-up question they did not anticipate.
The good news is that business conversation is a learnable skill, not a talent. Business conversations in Chinese use a fairly stable set of situations — introducing yourself, making small talk, discussing your company and products, walking through an agenda, and talking about price and contracts. Each situation has a small, reusable phrase set. Learn those phrases, understand the flow that connects them, and practice in a low-risk setting, and you can hold your own in a real meeting far sooner than you would expect.
This guide walks you through four things: how business Chinese conversation differs from everyday chat, the topics you will actually use, the phrases that carry each stage of a conversation, and the practice methods that turn recognition into fluency. It ends with an AI role-play you can start today — no conversation partner or classroom required.
By the end you will know what to say, how to keep the conversation going when it stalls, and how to close and follow up so nothing gets lost. Ready to say your first line out loud? Start a Conversation Scenario and rehearse it before it counts.
Business Chinese conversation · 02
Business Chinese and casual Chinese share the same grammar but not the same rules of use. If you speak to a client the way you speak to a friend, you will sound at best informal and at worst careless. Four differences matter most.
Business Chinese prefers precise, neutral, slightly formal words where daily chat uses loose, casual ones. You will hear 讨论 (tǎolùn — to discuss) rather than 聊 (liáo — to chat), 确认 (quèrèn — to confirm) rather than 觉得 (juéde — to feel), and 合作 (hézuò — to cooperate) rather than 一起玩 (yìqǐ wán — to hang out).
Chinese has a politeness layer English largely lacks. The polite second-person 您 (nín) replaces 你 (nǐ) with anyone senior or external; the honorific 贵公司 (guì gōngsī — your honorable company) replaces 你们公司 (nǐmen gōngsī — your company); and self-reference stays modest with 我们公司 (wǒmen gōngsī — our company).
Chinese business conversation values relationship-building before task-solving. Directly opening with business can read as cold, so a short warm exchange — where you are from, how the trip was, how their business is doing — is part of the work, not a delay. Equally, agreement is often expressed indirectly; "we will study it" can mean "probably not."
Every business conversation has an outcome to reach. Unlike casual chat, the point is not just to enjoy the exchange but to move something forward — a decision, an order, a next meeting. That does not mean being blunt; it means always knowing what "done" looks like for the conversation you are in.
The takeaway: treat business Chinese as its own register. Polite forms, precise words, a warm opening, and a clear goal — those four habits separate a professional from someone who merely knows the language.
Business Chinese conversation · 03
Almost every business conversation in Chinese draws on the same handful of topics. Master the topics below and you will rarely be stuck for something to say. Each line includes Chinese characters, pinyin, and English so you can read it, say it aloud, and reuse it.
The first minute sets the tone. Introduce yourself concisely, then hand the conversation back with a question — a conversation is a two-way exchange, not a speech.
For a wider bank of relationship-building lines, see our guide to business Chinese small talk and the business Chinese phrases hub.
This is where the substance begins. You describe what your company does, what makes your product worth attention, and how established you are — briefly and concretely.
A well-run Chinese meeting names its agenda up front. Say what you will cover, in what order, and keep the discussion from drifting.
Money conversations reward clarity and politeness in equal measure: you push for terms while keeping the relationship intact.
Business Chinese conversation · 04
Topics give you what to talk about; phrases give you how to say it. The lines below are organized by function, so you can reach for the right one at the right moment. Learn them as a set — they are the connective tissue of any business conversation.
Losing the thread is normal. Asking cleanly is a professional skill, not an admission of weakness.
Business Chinese conversation · 05
A business conversation follows a rhythm: you open and build rapport, present information, ask questions, then close and follow up. Knowing the flow lets you keep the exchange alive when it stalls instead of letting silence end it. This is the part learners most often skip — and the part that makes the biggest difference.
Small connector phrases are what keep a conversation from stalling — they buy you thinking time and hand the turn back to the other person.
Business Chinese conversation · 06
Reading phrases is not the same as producing them under pressure. These four methods, used together, move a phrase from "I recognize it" to "I can say it when it matters."
Simulate the situation before it happens. You play your own role and respond in Chinese in real time while a partner (a teacher, a study buddy, or an AI) plays the client, supplier, or finance manager. Role play is the highest-value method because it recreates the pressure of a real conversation — the pressure that makes you freeze — in a safe space where mistakes cost nothing.
Memorize short, complete exchanges — not isolated words. Learning a four-line dialogue whole teaches you rhythm, turn-taking, and the natural connections between lines, which is exactly what you need to sound fluent rather than stitched-together. Aim to recall the exchange, not to recite a script verbatim.
Listen to a native recording or a partner, then repeat line by line, imitating not only the words but the intonation and pauses. Tone accuracy in Chinese is a listening and muscle-memory skill; repetition is how it becomes automatic.
Once the phrases are familiar, drop the script and hold an open conversation in Chinese. Free practice is harder, but it is where you discover which phrases you actually own and which you only recognize. Aim to keep the exchange going for two or three minutes without switching to English, using your bridge phrases when you get stuck.
A practical weekly routine: learn one topic's phrases, run one role play on it, then hold a short free conversation applying it. Short and frequent beats long and rare — three fifteen-minute sessions a week will outpace a single two-hour cram.
Business Chinese conversation · 07
The hardest part of learning business conversation is that you need a partner — and partners are not always available, patient, or willing to role-play a price negotiation for the fifth time. AI role-play removes that constraint.
Pick a scenario — a client introduction, a supplier call, a meeting agenda walkthrough, a price and contract discussion — and choose the role you want to play. The AI takes the opposite role and stays in character in Chinese, responding to what you actually say: asking follow-up questions, raising objections, or asking you to clarify. Because it reacts rather than following a fixed script, the exchange behaves like a real conversation. You can set the difficulty to match your level and replay the same scenario as many times as you need.
After each response, the AI gives feedback on clarity, phrase choice, tone and politeness, how you recovered when you got stuck, and whether you confirmed details. That feedback loop is what turns a stumble into a lesson. To begin, try opening with 我想练习和客户初次见面。(Wǒ xiǎng liànxí hé kèhù chūcì jiànmiàn. — I want to practice meeting a client for the first time.) then keep the conversation going in role for a few minutes. When you are ready, start a conversation scenario and rehearse before the real meeting — no partner required.
Business Chinese conversation · 08
Start with five reliable topic areas: introductions and small talk, your company and products, the meeting agenda, price and contract terms, and next steps. In the warm-up phase, safe small-talk topics include where the person is from, how their trip was, and how their business is doing — for example 您最近忙吗？(Nín zuìjìn máng ma? — Have you been busy lately?). Then move into substance: describe what your company does with 我们公司主要做…… (Wǒmen gōngsī zhǔyào zuò… — Our company mainly does…), explain a product benefit, walk through the agenda, and raise price or terms politely. The rule of thumb is to talk about work, cooperation, and the other person's business — concrete, professional ground that both sides are comfortable on.
Open with a greeting plus a brief self-introduction, then hand the conversation back with a question. A reliable opening is 您好，我是……，很高兴认识您。(Nín hǎo, wǒ shì…, hěn gāoxìng rènshi nín. — Hello, I'm…, nice to meet you.) In Chinese business settings, a short warm exchange before business is expected rather than wasted time, so follow the introduction with a light question such as 您是从哪里来的？(Nín shì cóng nǎlǐ lái de? — Where are you from?). Only after that warm-up should you name the goal — 希望我们今天能确定下一步的安排。(Xīwàng wǒmen jīntiān néng quèdìng xià yí bù de ānpái. — I hope we can confirm the next steps today.) Polite first, then purposeful.
Avoid three areas until you know the other person well: politics and sensitive historical events, personal finances or salary, and anything that could embarrass a colleague publicly. Also avoid negative comments about competitors — in Chinese business culture, openly criticizing another company can reflect poorly on you. Steer clear of blunt disagreements or a flat 不行 (bùxíng — no) in a first meeting; disagree softly with 这一点我有些不同的看法 (Zhè yì diǎn wǒ yǒuxiē bùtóng de kànfǎ — on this point I have a somewhat different view). When in doubt, keep the discussion on work, cooperation, and shared interests.
Use three techniques: bridge phrases, follow-up questions, and recovery phrases. When the conversation stalls, hand the turn back with 请继续 (Qǐng jìxù — please go on) or bridge with 说到这个，我想起来…… (Shuō dào zhège, wǒ xiǎng qǐlái… — speaking of that, I remember…). Ask genuine follow-ups like 您觉得怎么样？(Nín juéde zěnmeyàng? — What do you think?) and 能多说说吗？(Néng duō shuō shuo ma? — Could you say more?). If you lose the thread, don't go silent — use 不好意思，能再说一遍吗？(Bù hǎoyìsi, néng zài shuō yí biàn ma? — Sorry, could you say that again?) and 您的意思是……吗？(Nín de yìsi shì… ma? — Do you mean…?). A conversation stays alive because you keep giving the other person something to respond to.
With focused practice, most learners can handle a short, structured business conversation in a few months. If you already speak everyday Chinese, you can often manage greetings, introductions, and simple small talk within four to eight weeks of daily practice. The fastest path is to learn one topic area at a time, rehearse it through role play, then use it in a real conversation before moving on. Fluency grows from repeated exposure in context, not from memorizing longer lists — so prioritize speaking a little every day over studying a lot occasionally.
Don't let a real client be your first rehearsal. Pick a scenario and practice with instant AI feedback on clarity, tone, and phrase choice.
Start a Conversation Scenario