How To Speak Professionally On The Phone In Chinese

Phone calls in Chinese can feel harder than face-to-face conversations. You cannot rely on smiles, pointing, or that heroic “maybe they understood me” look.

The good news is that professional phone Chinese is very pattern-based. Learn a handful of polite lines, keep your tone calm, and suddenly you sound organized, respectful, and like someone who has definitely made it through a meeting before.

Essential Phone Words You Will Hear All The Time

Professional Phrases For Real Calls

These are the lines that make calls smoother. Each one is practical, polite, and much more useful than freezing and repeating 喂 (wèi) like your brain just left the meeting.

Answering The Phone

您好，请问是哪位？
nín hǎo, qǐngwèn shì nǎ wèi?
Hello, may I ask who is calling?

Example: 您好，请问是哪位？我是李明。
nín hǎo, qǐngwèn shì nǎ wèi? wǒ shì Lǐ Míng.
Hello, may I ask who is calling? This is Li Ming.

您好，这里是星河科技。
nín hǎo, zhèlǐ shì Xīnghé Kējì.
Hello, this is Xinghe Technology.

Example: 您好，这里是星河科技，请问有什么可以帮您？
nín hǎo, zhèlǐ shì Xīnghé Kējì, qǐngwèn yǒu shénme kěyǐ bāng nín?
Hello, this is Xinghe Technology. How may I help you?

Asking For Someone

请问张经理在吗？
qǐngwèn Zhāng jīnglǐ zài ma?
May I ask if Manager Zhang is available?

Example: 请问张经理在吗？我想跟他确认一下会议时间。
qǐngwèn Zhāng jīnglǐ zài ma? wǒ xiǎng gēn tā quèrèn yíxià huìyì shíjiān.
Is Manager Zhang available? I would like to confirm the meeting time with him.

麻烦您帮我转接一下王女士。
máfan nín bāng wǒ zhuǎnjiē yíxià Wáng nǚshì.
Could you please transfer me to Ms. Wang?

Example: 麻烦您帮我转接一下王女士，我是昨天联系她的客户。
máfan nín bāng wǒ zhuǎnjiē yíxià Wáng nǚshì, wǒ shì zuótiān liánxì tā de kèhù.
Could you transfer me to Ms. Wang? I am the client who contacted her yesterday.

Putting Someone On Hold

请稍等一下。
qǐng shāo děng yíxià.
Please wait a moment.

Example: 请稍等一下，我帮您查一下。
qǐng shāo děng yíxià, wǒ bāng nín chá yíxià.
Please wait a moment. I will check for you.

不好意思，让您久等了。
bù hǎoyìsi, ràng nín jiǔ děng le.
Sorry to have kept you waiting.

Example: 不好意思，让您久等了，张经理现在可以接电话。
bù hǎoyìsi, ràng nín jiǔ děng le, Zhāng jīnglǐ xiànzài kěyǐ jiē diànhuà.
Sorry to have kept you waiting. Manager Zhang can take the call now.

Taking A Message

他现在不在。
tā xiànzài bú zài.
He is not here right now.

Example: 他现在不在，您要不要留言？
tā xiànzài bú zài, nín yào bu yào liúyán?
He is not here right now. Would you like to leave a message?

我可以帮您留言。
wǒ kěyǐ bāng nín liúyán.
I can take a message for you.

Example: 我可以帮您留言，请问您的姓名和电话是？
wǒ kěyǐ bāng nín liúyán, qǐngwèn nín de xìngmíng hé diànhuà shì?
I can take a message for you. May I have your name and phone number?

Calling Back Or Following Up

我再给您回电话。
wǒ zài gěi nín huí diànhuà.
I will call you back.

Example: 我先确认一下信息，十分钟后再给您回电话。
wǒ xiān quèrèn yíxià xìnxī, shí fēnzhōng hòu zài gěi nín huí diànhuà.
I will confirm the information first and call you back in ten minutes.

我是来跟进昨天的事情。
wǒ shì lái gēnjìn zuótiān de shìqing.
I am calling to follow up on yesterday’s matter.

Example: 您好，我是来跟进昨天的报价。
nín hǎo, wǒ shì lái gēnjìn zuótiān de bàojià.
Hello, I am calling to follow up on yesterday’s quotation.

Checking Availability Politely

您现在方便说话吗？
nín xiànzài fāngbiàn shuōhuà ma?
Is now a convenient time to talk?

Example: 您现在方便说话吗？我想确认一下合同内容。
nín xiànzài fāngbiàn shuōhuà ma? wǒ xiǎng quèrèn yíxià hétóng nèiróng.
Is now a convenient time to talk? I would like to confirm the contract details.

您什么时候方便接电话？
nín shénme shíhou fāngbiàn jiē diànhuà?
When would be a convenient time for you to take a call?

Example: 如果您现在忙，请问您什么时候方便接电话？
rúguǒ nín xiànzài máng, qǐngwèn nín shénme shíhou fāngbiàn jiē diànhuà?
If you are busy right now, may I ask when would be a convenient time for a call?

Ending The Call Gracefully

好的，那先这样。
hǎo de, nà xiān zhèyàng.
Okay, let us leave it there for now.

Example: 好的，那先这样，感谢您的时间。
hǎo de, nà xiān zhèyàng, gǎnxiè nín de shíjiān.
Okay, let us leave it there for now. Thank you for your time.

谢谢您的来电。
xièxie nín de láidiàn.
Thank you for your call.

Example: 谢谢您的来电，祝您今天工作顺利。
xièxie nín de láidiàn, zhù nín jīntiān gōngzuò shùnlì.
Thank you for your call. I wish you a smooth workday today.

Core Rules That Make You Sound More Professional

Phone Scripts You Can Actually Reuse

Script: You Are Calling A Company

您好 (nín hǎo)，请问王女士 (Wáng nǚshì) 在吗 (zài ma)？
nín hǎo, qǐngwèn Wáng nǚshì zài ma?
Hello, may I ask if Ms. Wang is available?

如果她现在不方便 (rúguǒ tā xiànzài bù fāngbiàn)，我可以晚一点再打过来 (wǒ kěyǐ wǎn yìdiǎn zài dǎ guòlái)。
rúguǒ tā xiànzài bù fāngbiàn, wǒ kěyǐ wǎn yìdiǎn zài dǎ guòlái.
If she is not available right now, I can call back later.

Script: You Answer A Business Call

您好 (nín hǎo)，这里是云桥咨询 (Yúnqiáo Zīxún)。
nín hǎo, zhèlǐ shì Yúnqiáo Zīxún.
Hello, this is Yunqiao Consulting.

请问您找哪位 (qǐngwèn nín zhǎo nǎ wèi)？
qǐngwèn nín zhǎo nǎ wèi?
Who are you trying to reach?

请稍等一下 (qǐng shāo děng yíxià)，我帮您转接 (wǒ bāng nín zhuǎnjiē)。
qǐng shāo děng yíxià, wǒ bāng nín zhuǎnjiē.
Please wait a moment. I will transfer your call.

Common Mistakes And Better Fixes

• Too direct: 你找谁？ (nǐ zhǎo shéi?) — Who do you want?
  Better: 请问您找哪位？ (qǐngwèn nín zhǎo nǎ wèi?) — May I ask who you are trying to reach?
• Too casual: 等一下。 (děng yíxià.) — Wait a second.
  Better: 请稍等一下。 (qǐng shāo děng yíxià.) — Please wait a moment.
• Too vague: 他不在。 (tā bú zài.) — He is not here.
  Better: 他现在不在，您要不要留言？ (tā xiànzài bú zài, nín yào bu yào liúyán?) — He is not here right now. Would you like to leave a message?
• Too abrupt: 我挂了。 (wǒ guà le.) — I am hanging up.
  Better: 好的，那先这样，感谢您的来电。 (hǎo de, nà xiān zhèyàng, gǎnxiè nín de láidiàn.) — Okay, let us leave it there for now. Thank you for your call.

Quick Reference Table

Practice Section

Try reading these aloud. Professional phone Chinese is not only about the words. The rhythm matters too: calm, steady, and not like you accidentally answered a call while sprinting.

• Drill 1: 您好，这里是安和公司。 (nín hǎo, zhèlǐ shì Ānhé Gōngsī.)
  Hello, this is Anhe Company.
• Drill 2: 请问陈总现在方便吗？ (qǐngwèn Chén zǒng xiànzài fāngbiàn ma?)
  May I ask if Director Chen is available right now?
• Drill 3: 请稍等一下，我帮您转接。 (qǐng shāo děng yíxià, wǒ bāng nín zhuǎnjiē.)
  Please wait a moment. I will transfer your call.
• Drill 4: 他现在不在，我可以帮您留言。 (tā xiànzài bú zài, wǒ kěyǐ bāng nín liúyán.)
  He is not here right now. I can take a message for you.
• Drill 5: 好的，我晚一点再给您回电话。 (hǎo de, wǒ wǎn yìdiǎn zài gěi nín huí diànhuà.)
  Okay, I will call you back a bit later.

Useful Variants You Will Hear

Once these phrases feel natural, phone calls in Chinese stop sounding like a trap and start sounding like a routine. A very polite routine, which is exactly what you want.