Take Away English-Doing Business in China 在中国经商

Are they on track for success?

China has changed enormously¹ over the last 20 years. Its economy has been growing at 10% a year, and it's on track to be the world’s largest economy soon. Today, 80% of the world’s electronic goods are made in China. As a result, more and more western companies want to do business in China. But how easy is it for a westerner to do business there? Here are some tips from the British Embassy² in Beijing.

Take your time. In the west, business is ruled by deadlines. Chinese business people seem to act slowly by western standards, so be prepared to wait for decisions.

Build relationships. In the west, it's usual to do business first, and then see if a relationship is possible. In China, it's the opposite. You need to build a relationship before you can do business. This leads to the idea of ‘guanxi’. Guanxi means using personal contacts and relationships to do business, and westerners need to understand how real and strong this is in China.

It can also be useful to find a reliable Chinese ally³ to work with you. He or she will be able to help with language or cultural problems and will also be able to understand Chinese body language. Remember too that a visit by a westerner is often seen as a great honour by Chinese companies.

You must remember to respect ‘face’. Face means having high status with your peers⁴. Face can be lost, given or earned. Never criticize⁵ or insult⁶ someone in front of others, as losing face will make it impossible to make a deal. On the other hand, if you praise someone by saying good things about him or her, then he or she will gain face, but be careful not to do it too much.

Accept the pecking⁷ order. Hierarchy⁸ is very important in China, and the group is more important than the individual. In business, Chinese people often don't like taking responsibility individually and may also not like giving opinions in front of peers, in case they lose face.

All these tricks of the trade can help you to play the game and do business successfully in China. Be prepared, and be patient if you want to be a winner in China.

GLOSSARY 词汇表
economy 经济 goods 商品 take your time 慢慢来 build relationships 建立关系 body language 肢体语言 peers 同等地位的人 insult 侮辱, 攻击 pecking order 直译是”啄序”, 指以尊卑,高低等划分的秩序 taking responsibility 承担责任 tricks of the trade 生意秘诀	on track 步入正轨 tips 秘诀 deadlines 限期 ally 联盟 high status 高地位 criticize 批评 make a deal 做交易 hierarchy 等级制度 giving opinions 发表意见 play the game 按照游戏规则

 

1 enormously   

adv.巨大地，庞大地；大大

参考例句：

• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His research has contributed enormously to our understanding of this disease. 他的研究对我们认识这一疾病贡献很大。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 embassy   

n.大使馆，大使及其随员

参考例句：

• Large crowd demonstrated outside the British Embassy.很多群众在英国大使馆外面示威。
• He's a U.S. diplomat assigned to the embassy in London.他是美国驻伦敦大使馆的一名外交官。

3 ally   

n.同盟者，同盟国；vt.使结盟，与...有关联

参考例句：

• In that war England was not an ally,she was neutral.在那场战争中，英国不同任何一国结盟，保持中立。
• She felt she needed an ally so badly.她感到她极需一个支持者。

4 peers   

n.同等的人，贵族vi.凝视，窥视vt.与…同等，封为贵族v.凝视( peer的第三人称单数 )；盯着看；同等；比得上

参考例句：

• She enjoys the respect of her peers. 她受到同侪的尊敬。
• She peers into my eyes. 她盯着我的眼睛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 criticize   

vt.批评；批判，指责；评论，评价

参考例句：

• Whenever you criticize him,he always has an excuse.你批评他，他总有说头儿。
• You are free to criticize my work.你可以随意批评我的工作。

6 insult   

vt.侮辱，凌辱；n.侮辱的言词或行为

参考例句：

• You will insult her if you don't go to her party. 你要是不去参加她举办的聚会，就对她太无礼了。
• I can't sit down with that insult.我不能忍受那种侮辱。

7 pecking   

啄，啄食，小口地吃( peck的现在分词 )； 匆匆地吻

参考例句：

• A robin was pecking at crumbs on the ground. 一只知更鸟在地上啄食面包渣。
• It was winter and the sparrows were pecking at whatever they could find. 时值冬季，麻雀啄食着能够找到的任何东西。

8 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。