Negotiating a deal in Chinese 商务谈判
shāngwù tánpàn
Negotiation in Chinese is 谈判 (tán pàn).
Also searched for as: business negotiation, negotiate a price, haggling with a supplier, bargaining, make a deal.
Haggling over price, terms and everything in between. 15 essential negotiating a deal 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.
Negotiation in Chinese is 谈判 (tán pàn), and in practice it's often a patient back-and-forth rather than a single hard bargain. You'll hear the other side give a 报价 (bào jià), a quote, try to 压价 (yā jià), push the price down, and eventually suggest 各让一步 (gè ràng yī bù), meeting each other halfway. Knowing these terms helps you follow every move and respond with confidence.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 谈判 | tán pàn | negotiation; to negotiate |
| 报价 | bào jià | quote; to quote a price |
| 压价 | yā jià | to push the price down |
| 还价 | huán jià | to make a counter-offer |
| 让步 | ràng bù | to make a concession |
| 底价 | dǐ jià | bottom price; floor price |
| 折扣 | zhé kòu | discount |
| 条件 | tiáo jiàn | terms; conditions |
| 利润空间 | lì rùn kōng jiān | margin; room for profit |
| 成交 | chéng jiāo | to close a deal; deal! |
| 合作 | hé zuò | to cooperate; to work together |
| 双赢 | shuāng yíng | win-win |
| 诚意 | chéng yì | sincerity; good faith |
| 考虑一下 | kǎo lǜ yī xià | to think it over |
| 各让一步 | gè ràng yī bù | to meet halfway |
Usage tips
- Prices per unit put the price first: 八块一个 (bā kuài yī ge) means 'eight yuan each'; 块 (kuài) is used in speech, while 元 (yuán) appears in writing and formal quotes.
- 我们考虑一下 (wǒ men kǎo lǜ yī xià) or 我们内部讨论一下 (wǒ men nèi bù tǎo lùn yī xià) is often a polite way of not agreeing yet, so don't take it as a sign that a yes is coming.
- Chinese negotiators often stress 长期合作 (cháng qī hé zuò), long-term cooperation, and 诚意 (chéng yì), good faith; presenting a concession as an investment in the relationship tends to work better than a hard deadline.
Common mistakes
- Misreading discounts: 打八折 (dǎ bā zhé) means you pay 80% of the price, i.e. 20% off, not 80% off.
- Reading 还价 as hái jià: in bargaining 还 is pronounced huán, so it's 还价 (huán jià) and 讨价还价 (tǎo jià huán jià).
- Saying 成交 (chéng jiāo) to mean 'sounds reasonable': it means 'deal!' and closes the bargaining, so only say it when you accept the terms.
Mini dialogue
- A你们的报价有点儿高，能不能再便宜一点？Nǐ men de bào jià yǒu diǎnr gāo, néng bù néng zài pián yi yī diǎn?Your quote is a bit high. Could you go a little lower?
- B这已经是我们的底价了，真的没有利润空间了。Zhè yǐ jīng shì wǒ men de dǐ jià le, zhēn de méi yǒu lì rùn kōng jiān le.This is already our bottom price. There's genuinely no margin left.
- A如果我们订一万个呢？能打个九五折吗？Rú guǒ wǒ men dìng yī wàn ge ne? Néng dǎ ge jiǔ wǔ zhé ma?What if we order ten thousand? Could you do five percent off?
- B这样吧，我们各让一步，打九七折。Zhè yàng ba, wǒ men gè ràng yī bù, dǎ jiǔ qī zhé.Tell you what, let's meet halfway: three percent off.
- A好，成交！希望我们能长期合作。Hǎo, chéng jiāo! Xī wàng wǒ men néng cháng qī hé zuò.OK, deal! We hope we can work together long term.
Example sentences
- 这次谈判比我想的顺利。The negotiation went more smoothly than I expected.
- 你们的报价有点儿高。Your quote is a bit high.
- 客户一直在压价。The client keeps pushing the price down.
- 对方还价到八块一个。They countered at eight yuan apiece.
- 我们已经让步很多了。We've already made a lot of concessions.
- 这已经是我们的底价了。This is already our bottom price.
- 量大的话能给多少折扣？How much discount can you give on a big order?
- 这个条件我们可以接受。We can accept these terms.
- 这个价格没有利润空间了。There's no margin left at this price.
- 好，就这个价，成交！OK, that price it is. Deal!
- 希望我们能长期合作。We hope we can work together long term.
- 希望这次能实现双赢。We hope this can be a win-win.
- 我们是很有诚意的。We're here in good faith.
- 我们内部考虑一下再回复您。We'll discuss it internally and get back to you.
- 这样吧，我们各让一步。Tell you what, let's meet halfway.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Negotiating a deal speaking island has 8 everyday questions about negotiating a deal to prepare your own answers to.