商务
shāngwù Visiting a Chinese Factory: A Reading PathThe business Chinese for a buyer's factory visit, in the order you will need it: the meeting, the floor, the product, the price, the contract, problems, the tour, the dinner, and the follow-up.
How to Use This Path
商务 is "commercial affairs," the word on business visas and business-class tickets. This path collects the pages written for one situation: a foreign buyer visiting a Chinese manufacturer, sitting through the meeting, walking the floor, negotiating terms, and keeping the relationship going afterwards. Read the first stage before the trip, the second before any discussion of price or contracts, and the third the night before the visit. The cheat sheet below is the short list to have on your phone on the day.
Reading Path
- Stage 1 会谈 In the Room 3 entries
- Stage 2 条件 Money and Terms 3 entries
- Stage 3 现场 On the Visit 3 entries
- Stage 4 之后 After and Around 2 entries
会谈
In the Room The two pages to read before the first meeting: how the meeting runs and what everyone in it is talking about.会谈 · The Meeting Room — Start here. Who is across the table, how to keep control of the agenda, and how to hear a refusal that never uses the word.
工厂 · Factory Words — The floor vocabulary your merchandiser uses in every message: 打样, 封样, 开模, 大货, 验货, 出货.
水杯 · How a Bottle Is Made — The product layer: forming and welding steel, how the vacuum is made and checked, lids, glass, food-contact tests, and branding.
条件
Money and Terms The commercial half: what the price means, how it is paid, and what protects you if things go wrong.谈价 · Price, Payment, Numbers — Five questions to ask about any price, the 定金 versus 订金 distinction, and the numbers that cause tenfold mistakes.
合同 · Contracts, Seals, IP — Which language governs, which seal binds, NNN agreements, tooling ownership, and where disputes are heard.
投诉 · Quality Complaints — How to report a defect so it gets fixed, ask for a real root cause, and settle who pays.
现场
On the Visit The day itself, from the factory floor to the dinner table.参观工厂 · The Factory Tour — The tour is the one chance to see whether the factory makes your product itself. The questions here find out.
饭局 · The Business Banquet — The condensed script for the dinner after the visit; links to the longer toasting and hosting pages.
敬酒 · Toasting — Background for the banquet page, if the dinner will be a long one.
之后
After and Around Keeping the relationship going, and getting there in the first place.微信 · WeChat Follow-up — Where the relationship lives after you fly home. Message templates for thanks, minutes, and chasing progress.
出行 · Getting Around — Trip logistics: train tickets on a passport, getting a car to an industrial zone, and paying without cash.
Day-of Cheat Sheet
我确认一下 wǒ quèrèn yíxià → let me confirm
能写下来吗？ néng xiě xiàlái ma? → could you write it down?
取决于什么？ qǔjué yú shénme? → what does it depend on?
具体是哪天？ jùtǐ shì nǎ tiān? → which day exactly?
FOB哪个港口？ FOB nǎge gǎngkǒu? → FOB which port?
报价有效期多久？ bàojià yǒuxiàoqī duō jiǔ? → how long is the quote valid?
起订量是每个颜色吗？ qǐdìngliàng shì měi ge yánsè ma? → is the MOQ per colour?
如果我们下一万个，单价是多少？ rúguǒ wǒmen xià yíwàn ge, dānjià shì duōshao? → if we order 10,000, what is the unit price?
模具归谁？ mújù guī shéi? → who owns the mold?
交期从什么时候算？ jiāoqī cóng shénme shíhou suàn? → when does the lead time start?
大货以封样为准 dàhuò yǐ fēngyàng wéi zhǔn → bulk must match the sealed sample
可以拍照吗？ kěyǐ pāizhào ma? → may I take photos?
我随意，您随意 wǒ suíyì, nín suíyì → I'll sip, you drink as you like
谢谢您的热情招待 xièxie nín de rèqíng zhāodài → thank you for your warm hospitality
我们加个微信吧 wǒmen jiā ge Wēixìn ba → let's add each other on WeChat
会议纪要如下，如有出入请指出 huìyì jìyào rúxià, rú yǒu chūrù qǐng zhǐchū → minutes below; please point out anything that differs