Business phone calls in Chinese 商务电话
shāngwù diànhuà
May I ask who's calling? in Chinese is 请问您是哪位 (qǐng wèn nín shì nǎ wèi).
Also searched for as: answering the phone at work, who's calling in Chinese, leave a message, conference call, phone etiquette.
Answering, transferring and taking messages at work. 15 essential business phone calls 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.
Answering the phone in Chinese starts with 喂 (wéi), a 'hello' used only on the phone, usually followed by 您好 (nín hǎo). From there, the key phrases are about routing calls: 稍等 (shāo děng), 'one moment', 转接 (zhuǎn jiē), putting someone through, and 留言 (liú yán), leaving a message when the person you want isn't there. With these you can handle most routine office calls.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 喂 | wéi | hello (on the phone) |
| 请问您是哪位 | qǐng wèn nín shì nǎ wèi | may I ask who's calling? |
| 方便 | fāng biàn | convenient (a good time) |
| 稍等 | shāo děng | wait a moment |
| 转接 | zhuǎn jiē | to transfer (a call) |
| 分机 | fēn jī | extension |
| 不在 | bù zài | not in; not here |
| 留言 | liú yán | to leave a message |
| 回电话 | huí diàn huà | to call back |
| 信号不好 | xìn hào bù hǎo | bad signal |
| 听不清 | tīng bu qīng | can't hear clearly |
| 占线 | zhàn xiàn | line busy; engaged |
| 打错了 | dǎ cuò le | wrong number |
| 电话会议 | diàn huà huì yì | conference call |
| 再联系 | zài lián xì | be in touch; talk later |
Usage tips
- On the phone 喂 is said with a rising tone, wéi, which sounds friendly and questioning; a sharp falling wèi sounds more like 'oi!' and can come across as abrupt.
- Phone numbers and extensions are read digit by digit, and 一 is usually said yāo to avoid confusion with 七 (qī), so extension 108 is yāo líng bā.
- Before getting down to business, especially on a mobile, check with 您现在方便吗 (nín xiàn zài fāng biàn ma), 'is now a good time?'
Common mistakes
- Asking 你是谁 (nǐ shì shéi) on the phone sounds rude; say 请问您是哪位 (qǐng wèn nín shì nǎ wèi).
- Copying English 'This is Tom' as 这是汤姆; on the phone you introduce yourself with 我是 (wǒ shì), as in 我是汤姆 (wǒ shì Tāng mǔ).
- Saying 他的电话很忙 for an engaged line; the term is 占线 (zhàn xiàn), as in 电话占线 (diàn huà zhàn xiàn).
Mini dialogue
- A喂，您好，请问王经理在吗？Wéi, nín hǎo, qǐng wèn Wáng jīng lǐ zài ma?Hello, is Mr Wang there, please?
- B请问您是哪位？Qǐng wèn nín shì nǎ wèi?May I ask who's calling?
- A我是ABC公司的小林。Wǒ shì ABC gōng sī de Xiǎo Lín.This is Xiao Lin from ABC Company.
- B不好意思，他现在不在，您要留言吗？Bù hǎo yì si, tā xiàn zài bù zài, nín yào liú yán ma?I'm sorry, he's not in at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?
- A麻烦您让他回来以后给我回电话，谢谢。Má fan nín ràng tā huí lái yǐ hòu gěi wǒ huí diàn huà, xiè xie.Could you ask him to call me back when he's in? Thanks.
- B好的，我一定转告他。Hǎo de, wǒ yī dìng zhuǎn gào tā.Of course, I'll be sure to pass it on.
Example sentences
- 喂，您好，请问找哪位？Hello, who would you like to speak to?
- 请问您是哪位？我帮您转。May I ask who's calling? I'll put you through.
- 您现在说话方便吗？Is now a good time to talk?
- 请稍等，他马上来。Just a moment, he's coming.
- 我帮您转接到销售部。I'll put you through to the sales department.
- 请转分机八零二。Extension 802, please.
- 他现在不在，您要留言吗？He's not in right now, would you like to leave a message?
- 我能给他留言吗？Can I leave him a message?
- 他回来以后请让他给我回电话。When he's back, please ask him to call me back.
- 信号不好，您刚才说什么？The signal's bad, what did you just say?
- 我听不清，您能大声一点吗？I can't hear you, could you speak up?
- 我打了好几次，一直占线。I called several times, it was engaged every time.
- 不好意思，您打错了。Sorry, you've got the wrong number.
- 下午三点有个电话会议。There's a conference call at three this afternoon.
- 好的，那我们再联系。OK, we'll be in touch then.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Business phone calls speaking island has 8 everyday questions about business phone calls to prepare your own answers to.