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商务问候礼仪 Business Greeting Etiquette (Intermediate)

Mar. 11, 2010

商务问候礼仪 (shāngwù wènhòu lǐyí) Business Greeting Etiquette

Key Learning Points (Preview):

问候 (wènhòu): n/v. greeting/ to send one's regards to

久仰 (jiǔyǎng): v. I've heard so much about you

Greetings are the first parts of a conversation between people during business exchanges. We greet people differently depending upon the circumstances.

To greet people we are meeting for the first time, the most standard expressions are: "你好 (nǐhǎo) hello," "很高兴认识您 (hěn gāoxìng rènshí nín) glad to meet you," "见到您非常荣幸 (jiàn dào nín fēicháng róngxìng) it's a great honor to meet you." Both "你 ()" and "您 (nín)" mean "you" in English, but they are different in Chinese. "您 (nín)" shows full respect to others, and is generally used to address elders or your boss, while "你 ()" is often used to address peers.

To greet an acquaintance, one should choose words that are casual and informal. For example, "好久不见了 (hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn le) long time no see," "又见面了 (yòu jiànmiàn le) see you again," "你气色不错 (nǐ qìsè búcuò) you have a good complexion."

To greet a prestigious person, the standard ways of addressing them are "久仰 (jiǔyǎng) I've heard so much about you," or "幸会 (xìnghuì) I'm fortunate to meet you."

Key Learning Points:

问候 (wènhòu): n/v. greeting/ to send one's regards to

The character "问 (wèn)" means to ask and "候 (hòu)" means to wait, but here "候 (hòu)" means to greet.

Example:

Shāngwù wènhòu hěn zhòngyào, yòng de bú qiàdàng kěnéng huì yǐnqǐ wùhuì.
商务           问候    很 重要,           用    的 不 恰当        可能      会 引起 误会。

Business greetings are quite critical because if they are used in an inappropriate way, they can create misunderstanding or embarrassment between people.

久仰 (jiǔyǎng): v. I've heard so much about you

The character "久 (jiǔ)" refers to a "long duration of time" and "仰 (yǎng)" refers to 'look up to".

Example:

     Jiǔyǎng dàmíng, jīntiān zhōngyú jiàn dào nín le.
A: 久仰        大名,   今天 终于 见 到 您 了。

I've heard so much about you. Finally, I get to see you today.

   Wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nín.
B: 我 也 很   高兴    见   到 您。

Nice to meet you, too.

生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary:

熟人 (shúrén): n. people whom you know very well


More Topics on Learning Business Chinese:

Learn Chinese Business Etiquette: Make a phone call (Intermediate)

Learn Business Chinese: Five Things You Must NOT Do with Chopsticks

Learn Business Chinese: Business gift taboos in China (Intermediate)

 

Business Chinese

Chinese Culture

General Chinese (Beginner Level)

General Chinese (Intermediate Level)

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Comments

Boom shakalaka boom boom, problem selovd.

Okay I’m convinced. Let’s put it to atcion.

Posts like this brighten up my day. Thanks for tiankg the time.

great one

Yes, it’s important to remember that although each character has its basic meaning, it can have 2 or 3 different meanings, especially when combines with another character creating a new word.

You guys are right. I’ve been learning Chinese, especially business Chinese, for a couple of years now. 熟 has four meanings:
a. Cooked: 饭熟了 The rice is done.
b. Ripe: 桃子成熟了 The peaches are ripe.
c. Familiar 熟悉 familiar
d. Practiced 熟练 practiced/proficient

Yes, I have the same question! 成熟: Ripen/ripe?

I’m currently learning business Chinese. In this business Chinese post, 熟人 means “people you know very well,” but I learned that 熟 means “ripe”. Which one is right?

These Tips I read on Aol From your Blog, Is Most useful To Readers, thanks For the great Article, Looking Forward To Reading More On Your Next Topic

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