Useful for understanding China
In Chinese business settings, “business jargon” refers to expressions that carry implicit cultural meanings beneath their literal translations. These phrases often avoid directness to maintain harmony and “face.” For example:
Understanding these unspoken codes is crucial for foreign professionals:
Mastering this jargon equips friends to navigate China’s complex business landscape with confidence, minimizing cultural friction and paving the way for successful partnerships.
The 7th series of black words commonly used in Chinese business situations includes ‘Play Tai Chi（打太极）’, ‘Set the tone（定调子）’, ‘The last – minute kick（临门一脚）’ and ‘Drive up the price on…
The 6th series of black words commonly used in business situations in China includes ‘esource integration（资源整合）’, ‘Co – operate in a coordinated way（协同作战）’, ‘Free – ride（搭便车）’ and ‘Fix the weaknesses（补短板）’.…
The 5th series of black words commonly used in Chinese business situations includes ‘Complementary advantages（优势互补）’, ‘Joint promotion（联合推广）’, ‘Interest bundling（利益捆绑）’ and ‘Memorandum of cooperation（合作备忘录）’. 1. Complementary advantages（优势互补） It means that two…
The 4th series of black words commonly used in Chinese business situations includes ‘Tug – of – war（拉锯战）’, ‘Bargaining chip（筹码）’, ‘Compromise（妥协）’ and ‘Find out the real situation（摸底）’. 1. Tug –…
The 3rd series of black words commonly used in Chinese business situations includes ‘Make concessions（让步）’, ‘Haggle（讨价还价）’, ‘Hit it off immediately（一拍即合）’ and ‘Probe（试探）’. 1. Make concessions（让步） It means that in a…
The 2nd series of black words commonly used in Chinese business situations includes ‘Win – win（双赢）’, ‘Pound the side drum（敲边鼓）’, ‘Draw a pie（画饼）’ and ‘Bottom line（底线）’. 1. Win – win（双赢）…
The 1st series of black words commonly used in Chinese business situations includes ‘Cast a long line to catch a big fish（放长线，钓大鱼）’, ‘Take the full responsibility （兜底）’, ‘Be open and…
The 1st Series of Chinese Drinking Slangs includes ‘我先干为敬(I’ll do it first)’, ‘来，走一个（Come on, let’s go）’, ‘这杯酒敬您，以后还请多关照(Here’s to you, please take care of me in the future)’, ‘感情深，一口闷；感情浅，舔一舔（Deep feelings, a…