LESSON NOTES

Business Chinese for Beginners

S1 #5
Chatting With Your Coworkers in
China

CONTENTS

2 Simplified Chinese
2 Traditional Chinese
3 Pinyin
3 English
4 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Vocabulary Phrase Usage

5
6 Grammar
11 Cultural Insight
#

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 SIMPLIFIED CHINESE

1. 马浩然: 最近好吗？

2. 王芳: 最近我很忙。

3. 马浩然: 有新的计划？

4. 王芳: 对，两个新计划⼀起来。

5. 马浩然: 我的部门现在不怎么忙，⼀般在⽉底才是最忙的。

6. 王芳: 好吧！我要准备发布会，下次再聊。

7. 马浩然: 好 。

TRADITIONAL CHINESE

1. ⾺浩然: 最近好嗎？

2. 王芳: 最近我很忙。

3. ⾺浩然: 有新的計劃？

4. 王芳: 對，兩個新計劃⼀起來。

5. ⾺浩然: 我的部門現在不怎麼忙，⼀般在⽉底才是最忙的。

CONT'D OVER

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6. 王芳: 好吧！我要準備發布會，下次再聊。

7. ⾺浩然: 好 。

PINYIN

1. Mǎ Hàorán: Zuìjìn hǎo ma?

2. Wáng Fāng: Zuìjìn wǒ hěn máng.

3. Mǎ Hàorán: Yǒu xīn de jìhuà?

4. Wáng Fāng: Duì, liǎng gè xīn jìhuà yīqǐlái.

5. Mǎ Hàorán: Wǒ de bùmén xiànzài bù zě me máng, yībān zài yuèdǐ cái shì zuì máng de.

6. Wáng Fāng: Hǎo ba! Wǒ yào zhǔnbèi fābù huì, xià cì zài liáo.

7. Mǎ Hàorán: Hǎo.

ENGLISH

1. Mark: How is it going lately?

2. Monica: Lately I have a lot of work.

3. Mark: New project?

4. Monica: Yes, I've got two new projects.

CONT'D OVER

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5. Mark: My department is not very busy now. Usually, the most hectic time is at the end
of the month.

6. Monica: Ok, so I will be going. I have to prepare the presentation. Talk to you next
time.

7. Mark: Okay!

VOCABULARY

Simplified Traditional Pinyin English Class

最近 最近 zuìjìn recently adverb

忙 忙 máng busy adjective

⼀起 ⼀起 yīqǐ together adverb

部门 部門 bùmén department noun

⼀般 ⼀般 yībān usually adverb

the end of the

⽉底 ⽉底 yuèdǐ month phrase

准备 准备 zhǔnbèi prepare verb

presentation;
launching
发布会 发布会 fābù huì noun
presentation

聊 聊 liáo to chat verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

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你最近好吗？ 你最近还好吗?
Nǐ zuìjìn hǎo ma? nǐ zuìjìn hái hǎo ma?

How have you been recently? How have you been lately?

他最近只吃素⻝了。 ⼤家都挺忙的。
Tā zuìjìn zhǐ chī sùshí le. Dàjiā dōu tǐng máng de.

Recently, he has only been eating Everyone is all quite busy.

vegetarian food.

他们⼀起去吃饭了。 部门中的每个⼈都在参加会议。
Tāmen yīqǐ qù chī fàn le. bùmén zhōng de měigè rén dōu zài cānjiā huìyì.

They went to eat together. Everyone in the department is attending

a meeting.

⾸付⼀般是全款的三分之⼀。 他⽉底领⼯资。
Shǒufù yībān shì quán kuǎn de sān fēn zhī yī. Tā yuèdǐ lǐng gōngzī.

The down payment is normally one third He gets paid at the end of the month.
of the total amount.

机会是给有准备的⼈的。 今天是苹果⼿机的发布会。
jīhuì shì gěi yǒu zhǔnbèi de rén de. Jīntiān shì píngguǒ shǒujī de fābùhuì.

Opportunities come to those who are Today is Apple iPhone's launching

prepared. presentation.

我们聊了⼗分钟。 我们找个时间聊⼀聊。
Wǒmen liáo le shí fēnzhōng. Wǒmen zhǎo gè shíjiān liáo yì liáo.

We chatted for ten minutes. Let's find a time to have a chat.

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

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最近好吗？
Zuìjìn hǎo ma?
"How's it going lately?"

最近(zuìjìn) - "recently, lately" 好吗？(hǎo ma?) - "How are you; What is going on?" 好
(hǎo) - "well" 吗(ma) - final particle for question.

It is a casual greeting with a meaning similar to "how are you?"

For example...

1. 你妈妈最近好吗？
Nǐ māmā zuìjìn hǎo ma?
"How's your mother doing recently?"

⼀起来
yīqǐlái
"to do things together"

⼀起(yīqǐ) - "together" 来 (lái) - "come; appear"

⼀起(yīqǐ) is same as the word "together" in English. When you want to say two things
are happening at the same time, or when two or more people are doing an action
together, you can use ⼀起(yīqǐ), followed by the verb.

For example...

1. 两个项⽬⼀起来。
Liǎng gè xiàngmù yī qǐlái.
"To have two projects coming up at the same time."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Chatting About Work

最近我很忙。

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最近我很忙。
Zuìjìn wǒ hěn máng.
"Lately I have a lot of work"

In this lesson, we will learn:

1. Vocabulary to describe your work

2. How to use the future tense to say "I am going to..."

3. How to use superlatives

1. Vocabulary to describe your work

Work is without doubt part of our life. During lunch break, office hours, or even after work,
there are several chances to chat with other colleagues in an 8-hour workday. The topics
are usually about the recent projects or personnel changes, sometimes about the boss
too! It is crucial to learn the vocabulary about work.

Here is a list of some common words:

English
Chinese Pinyin Translation Class

最近 zuìjìn recently adverb

忙 máng busy adjective

听说 tīng shuō to have heard verb

部门 bùmén department noun

⽼板 lǎobǎn boss noun

同事 colleague/
tóngshì coworker noun

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报告 bàogào report noun

Sample sentences

1. 你最近忙什么？
Nǐ zuìjìn máng shénme?
"What are you busy with recently?"

2. 听说你的部门有⼀个新同事。
Tīng shuō nǐ de bùmén yǒu yīgè xīn tóngshì.
"I heard that a new coworker joined your department."

3. 我明天要交给⽼板这个⽉的报告。
Wǒ míngtiān yào jiāo gěi lǎobǎn zhège yuè de bàogào.
"I need to submit this month's report to the boss tomorrow."

2. How to use the future tense to say "I am going to..."

The topics at work always involve a plan or a schedule. We use 我要 (wǒ yào...) to
indicate "I am going to..." to describe the event that is expected to be done in the near
future. In the dialogue, Monica says:

1. 我要准备发布会。
Wǒ yào zhǔnbèi fābù huì.
"I am going to prepare for the presentation."

In the above sentence, it is followed by the verb 准备 (zhǔnbèi) "to prepare". You may
have already noticed that this phrase pattern is followed by a verb: 我要 [VERB] (wǒ yào
[VERB]) "I am going to [VERB]".

For example:

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1. 我要睡觉。
Wǒ yào shuìjiào.
"I am going to sleep."

2. 我要上班。
Wǒ yào shàngbān.
"I am going to work."

If you want to say "I am going to ... (a place or a location)", you can use 我要去[NOUN]
(wǒ yào qù [NOUN]).

1. 我要去办公室。
Wǒ yào qù bàngōngshì.
"I am going to the meeting room."

2. 我要去日本。
Wǒ yào qù Rìběn.

3. How to use superlatives

A superlative aims to express the highest level of comparisons. It is extremely easy to

make this form in Chinese. You can simply add only one word 最(zuì) "the most" before an
adjective to form the superlative.

最(zuì)"the most" + Adjective

Below is a chart of the most common words.

English
Translation
Adjective Superlative Pinyin (Adjective/
Superlative)

⼤ 最⼤ zuìdà big / biggest

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⼩ 最⼩ zuìxiǎo small / smallest

好 最好 zuì hǎo good / best

差 最差 zuì chà bad / worst

忙 最忙 zuì máng busy / busiest

新 最新 new / newest
zuìxīn (latest)

旧 最旧 zuì jiù old / oldest

快 最快 zuì kuài fast / fastest

慢 最慢 zuì màn slow / slowest

Sample sentences

1. 我的部门在⽉底最忙。
Wǒ de bùmén zài yuèdǐ zuì máng.
"My department is the busiest at the end of the month."

2. 这是最新的苹果电脑。
Zhè shì zuìxīn de píngguǒ diànnǎo.
"This is the latest Apple computer."

3. 这是我们公司最好的产品。
Zhè shì wǒmen gōngsī zuì hǎo de chǎnpǐn.
"This is the best product in our company."

Examples from the Dialogue:

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1. 我的部门现在不怎么忙，⼀般在⽉底才是最忙的。
Wǒ de bùmén xiànzài bù zěnme máng, tōngcháng zài yuèdǐ cái shì zuì máng de.
"My department is not very busy now. Usually, the most hectic time is at the end
of the month."

Sample Sentences:

1. 这个部门年底最忙。
Zhège bùmén niándǐ zuì máng.
"This department is the busiest around the end of the year."

CULTURAL INSIGHT

Work Routine and Chinese Holidays

Most companies are busy before a long holiday, like National Day or the Chinese New
Year. Some manufacturing companies will clear their stock at the year end which may
help with the cash flow recycling. The annual meeting and party before the year end also
tightens the schedule. More orders may rush in before the shutting down of the factory or
office during the long holiday. The main holidays in China include National Day in October,
and Chinese New Year in January or February. The traditional Chinese vacation like the
Chinese New Year Holiday (Chinese New Year) is a spectacular celebration. The
International Chinese New Year Parade and the fireworks are the highlight of the holiday.

Useful expression:

1. 农历新年和国庆节是中国的主要假期。
Nónglì xīnnián hé guóqìng jié shì zhōngguó de zhǔyào jiàqī.
"Lunar New Year and National Day are the main holidays in China."

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