In this post I will provide you with a full sentence by sentence break down of a sample meeting dialogue in Chinese. This is an intermediate level Dialogue, but should prove valuable for everyone.
Table of Contents
Dialogue
[Meeting Host]
Welcome to the meeting everyone.
huānyíng gèwèi chūxí cǐ cì huìyì.
Today’s agenda is to assess the project status
jīntiān de yìchéng shì pínggū xiàngmù zhuàngtài
This project is over time and over budget.
zhège xiàngmù shì chāo gōngqí, chāo yùsuàn.
[Meeting Attendee 1]
May I ask a question?
wǒ kěyǐ wèn yīgè wèntí ma?
[Meeting Host]
Of course you can. What is the question?
dāngrán kěyǐ. shì shénme wèntí?
[Meeting Attendee 1]
What is causing the delay?
zàochéng yánwù de yuányīn shì shénme?
[Meeting Host]
There has been a delay in shipment.
zhuāng chuán yǐ dāngē tài jiǔle.
[Meeting Attendee 1]
We should change supplier
wǒmen yīnggāi gēnghuàn gōngyìng shāng
[Meeting Attendee 2]
That won’t solve anything.
zhè bù huì jiějué rènhé shìqíng.
Tell them to immediately send a replacement part by air freight.
gàosù tāmen lìjí tōngguò kōngyùn fāsòng tìhuàn língjiàn.
[Meeting Attendee 1]
That is a good idea.
zhè shìgè hǎo zhǔyì.
[Meeting Host]
If we are all agreed then, I’d like to close the meeting.
rúguǒ dàjiā dōu tóngyì dehuà, nàme huìyì dào cǐ jiéshù.
Dilaogue breakdown
Here is a break down of each sentence in the dialogue. In some cases I have grouped characters that should be remembered together rather than in isolation.
Welcome to the meeting everyone.
欢 迎 各 位 出 席 此 次 会 议 。
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| huānyíng gèwèi | chūxí | cǐ cì | huìyì |
| welcome everyone | attend | this time | meeting |
The key vocabulary:
- “welcome everyone”
欢 迎 各 位 (huānyíng gèwèi) is comprised othe words “welcome”欢 迎 (huānyíng) and “everyone”各 位 (gèwèi). You may have seen “welcome”欢 迎 (huānyíng) used as a formal welcome, for example at a restaurant where you may be created 欢迎光临各 位 光 临 (huānyíng guānglín). -
出 席 (chūxí) means to “attend” or “be present’. For example:- “do you think you could make it to Saturday evening?”
你 想 周 六 晚 聚 会 你 能 (nǐ xiǎng zhōu liù wǎn jùhuì nǐ néng chūxí ma) - “she asked me to attend the meeting.”
她 请 我 (tā qǐng wǒ chūxí huìyì) - “all her friends attended”
她 所 有 的 朋 友 都 (tā suǒyǒu de péngyǒu dōu chūxíle)
- “do you think you could make it to Saturday evening?”
- “this time”
此 次 (cǐ cì)- “this time you won’t win!”
你 (nǐ cǐ cì bié xiǎng yíng)
- ”this times purpose is…”
(cǐ cì mùdì shì)
- “this time you won’t win!”
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会 议 (huìyì) means “meeting” or ‘conference”. For example:- “the meeting will start in a minute”
(huìyì yī fēnzhōng hòu jiù yào kāishǐle) - “he didn’t attend the meeting.” (tā méi chūxí huìyì)
- “the meeting will start in a minute”
Today’s agenda is to assess the project status.
今 天 的 议 程 是 评 估 项 目 状 态 。
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| jīntiān de yìchéng | shì | pínggū | xiàngmù | zhuàngtài |
| today’s agenda | is (to) | evaluate | project | status |
Here is a break down of the sentence:
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今 天 的 (jīntiān) means “today”, while the addition of的 (de) turns this in to “today’s”. See my posts on how to say dates in Chinese as well as how to use ‘de’ in Chinese. -
议 程 (yìchéng) means “agenda”, here are some examples:- “let’s continue to to the next item on the agenda to discuss”
好 的 ， 这 个 (hǎo de, zhège yìchéng de dì yī gè xiàngmù shì)
- “let’s continue to to the next item on the agenda to discuss”
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评 估 (pínggū) means “evaluate”, for example:- “evaluate (assess) your needs”
(pínggū nǐ de xūqiú) - “(you) can download an evaulation version.”
一 个 (yīgè pínggū bǎnběn kěyǐ xiàzài) - “how did the evaulation go?”
(pínggū jìnzhǎn de zěnme yàng)
- “evaluate (assess) your needs”
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项 目 (xiàngmù’) means “project” e.g.”I rejected the project. ”我 都 驳 回 了 这 个 (wǒ dū bóhuíle zhège xiàngmù) - “Project Director”
(xiàngmù zhǔrèn) - “Thank you for your interest in this project”
谢 谢 你 在 这 个 (xièxiè nǐ zài zhège xiàngmù dì xìngqù)
- “Project Director”
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状 态 (zhuàngtài) means “status”, for example:
This project is over time and over budget.
这 个 项 目 是 超 工 期 、 超 预 算 。
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| this project | is | over time | over budget |
| zhège xiàngmù | shì | chāo gōngqí | chāo yùsuàn |
Sentence breakdown:
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超 (chāo) means “to exceed” or “go beyond”, here it is mean to say “exceed time”超 工 期 (chāo gōngqí) and “exceed budget”超 预 算 (chāo yùsuàn), here are some further examples:- “overtime” (chāo kèshí) e.g. “how much is overtime per hour?”
超 课 时 费 是 多 少 ？ (chāo kèshí fèi shì duōshǎo) - “overtake”
(chāochē) e.g. “that driver wants to overtake” 那 位 司 机 想 超 车 (nà wèi sījī xiǎng chāochē)
- “overtime” (chāo kèshí) e.g. “how much is overtime per hour?”
May I ask a question?
我 可 以 问 一 个 问 题 吗 ？
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| can I | ask a question | <question> |
| wǒ kěyǐ | wèn yīgè wèntí | ma |
Key works here are:
- Here “can”
可 以 is used. Remember that可 以 imeans “can” as in “allowed to” rather than the alternative which is会 (huì) or可 能 (kěnéng), which are used when talking about being able to rather than allowed to do something. - You may know that
问 题 (wèntí) means “question”, however try to remember “can I ask a question”我 可 以 问 一 个 问 题 吗 ？ (wǒ kěyǐ wèn yīgè wèntí ma) as a set phrase that is quite useful.
Of course you can. What is the question?
当 然 可 以 . 是 什 么 问 题 ？
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| of course (you) can | what is the question? |
| dāngrán kěyǐ | shì shénme wèntí |
Breakdown:
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当 然 可 以 (dāngrán kěyǐ) means “of course (you) can” and is made up of当 然 (dāngrán) means “of course” and可 以 (kěyǐ) means “can”. You will come across the phrase当 然 可 以 (dāngrán kěyǐ) quite often. Here are some examples of当 然 (dāngrán):- “of course I’m happy to see you!”
(dāngrán wǒ yě hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ) - “of course I’m his father!”
(dāngrán, wǒ shì tā de bàba)
- “of course I’m happy to see you!”
What is causing the delay?
造 成 延 误 的 原 因 是 什 么 ？
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| cause (of) | delay reason | is what |
| zàochéng | yánwù de yuányīn | shì shénme? |
Notes:
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造 成 (zàochéng) means “to cause”, and is made up of the characters “to make”造 (zào) and “accomplish”成 (chéng), here are some examples:- “What is the cause?”
这 是 什 么 原 因 (zhè shì shénme yuányīn zàochéng de) - “Did he cause it?
是 他 (shì tā zàochéng de ma)
- “What is the cause?”
- “delay reason”
延 误 的 原 因 (yánwù de yuányīn) is comprised of the words “delay”延 误 (yánwù) and “reason”原 因 (yuányīn). Here the character的 (de) is used to specify possession, that it it is the “dealy’s reason” or put another way, the “reason of delay”. Let’s look at some examples of “delay”延 误 (yánwù) and “reason”原 因 (yuányīn) :- “Your flight may be delayed”
你 的 航 班 可 能 会 (nǐ de hángbān kěnéng huì yánwù) - “I’m afraid there is a delay”
我 恐 怕 有 点 (wǒ kǒngpà yǒudiǎn yánwù) - “There is a reason for that”
那 是 有 (nà shì yǒu yuányīn de) - “What do you feel the cause is?”
您 觉 得 (nín juédé yuányīn shì shénme)
- “Your flight may be delayed”
There has been a delay in shipment.
装 船 已 耽 搁 太 久 了 。
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| shipment | already | delayed too long |
| zhuāng chuán | yǐ | dāngē tài jiǔle |
Breakdown:
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装 船 (zhuāng chuán) means shipment and is made up of the characters “to load” and “ship” e.g.- “Do you feel you are able to ship the goods soon?
你 认 为 能 很 快 装 船 吗 ？ (nǐ rènwéi néng hěn kuài zhuāngchuán ma) - “It can be ready for shipment within one day.”
可 以 在 一 天 内 准 备 好 (kěyǐ zài yītiān nèi zhǔnbèi hǎo zhuāngchuán)
- “Do you feel you are able to ship the goods soon?
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已 (yǐ) means “already”, and is for the most part an abbreviated form of已 经 (yǐjīng) -
耽 搁 (dāngē) means “delay” and is made of the characters “to delay” and “to put aside”, here are some examples:- “Don’t delay!”
不 要 耽 搁 (bùyào dāngē) - “Can you spare me a few minutes of your time?”
我 能 耽 搁 你 几 分 钟 吗 ？ (wǒ néng dāngē nǐ jǐ fēnzhōng ma) - “There seems to be some delay.”
看 来 是 有 事 耽 搁 了 。 (kàn lái shì yǒushì dāngēle)
- “Don’t delay!”
We should change supplier.
我 们 应 该 更 换 供 应 商
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| we | should | change | supplier |
| wǒmen | yīnggāi | gēnghuàn | gōngyìng shāng |
Here is a breakdown:
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应 该 (yīnggāi) you may know means “should”, which you will commonly see shortened to simply该 (gāi), but carries the same meaning -
更 换 (gēnghuàn) means “to change”, both of the individual characters that make up this word carry the meaning of “change”, here are some example sentenceS:- “change a lightbulb”
(gēnghuàn yīgè dēngpào) - “don’t forget to bring a change of clothes’
带 上 一 套 (dài shàng yī tào gēnghuàn de yīfú)
- “change a lightbulb”
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供 应 商 (gōngyìng shāng) means “supplier’ and literally means “supply merchant” where商 (shāng) means merchant or commerce; you may have seen商 (shāngdiàn) used in the word商 店 (shāng), meaning “shop” or “store”. Here are some examples:-
更 换 供 应 商 (gēnghuàn gōngyìng shāng) means to “change suppliers” and is used in this posts dialogue -
& # 8 2 2 1 ; 材 料 供 [ r 商 & # 8 2 2 1 ; (cáiliào gōngyìng shāng) means “materials supplier” -
你 的 供 应 商 是 谁 ？ (nǐ de gōngyìng shāng shì shéi) “who is your supplier?”
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That won’t solve anything.
这 不 会 解 决 任 何 事 情 。
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| this won’t | resolve | anything |
| zhè bù huì | jiějué | rènhé shìqíng. |
Dialogue breakdown:
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这 不 会 (zhè bù huì) “this won’t” and is best remembered as a phrase rather than being broken down, however for reference it literally means “this – not – possible/able to”; here are some examples of this phrase:- “This won’t be true.”
(zhè bù huì shì zhēn de) - “This wouldn’t be effective / This won’t work.”
(zhè bù huì yǒuxiào)
- “This won’t be true.”
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解 决 (jiějué) means “to resolve”, with both characters carrying that meaning. Here are some examples of this in use:- “I can’t solve your problem”
我 不 能 (wǒ bùnéng jiějué nǐ de wèntí) - “please help me solve this problem / please help me with this”
请 帮 我 (qǐng bāng wǒ jiějué zhège wèntí)
- “I can’t solve your problem”
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任 何 事 情 (rènhé shìqíng) is a set phrase that means “anything”, ” or “any matter” and is made up of the words “any”任 何 (rènhé) and “matter”事 情 (shìqíng). Here are some examples:- “You can’t rely on him to do anything!”
你 不 能 依 赖 他 做 (nǐ bùnéng yīlài tā zuò rènhé shìqíng) - “I’ll do anything!”
我 可 以 做 (wǒ kěyǐ zuò rènhé shìqíng) - “There are two sides to everything.”
(rènhé shìqíng dōu yǒu liǎngmiànxìng)
- “You can’t rely on him to do anything!”
Tell them to immediately send a replacement part by air freight.
告 诉 他 们 立 即 通 过 空 运 发 送 替 换 零 件 。
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| tell them | immediately | by means of air transport | dispatch | replacement part |
| gàosù tāmen | lìjí | tōngguò kōngyùn | fāsòng | tìhuàn língjiàn |
Breakdown:
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告 诉 他 们 (gàosù tāmen) is a common phrase for “tell them”, where the person or persons being told can easily be changed e.g.- “tell him”
(gàosù tā) - “tell him”
(gàosù tā)
- “tell him” (gàosù wǒ)
- “tell him”
(gàosù wǒmen)
- “tell him”
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立 即 (lìjí)- “I can’t give you an answer immediately”
我 无 法 (wǒ wúfǎ lìjí gěi nǐ yīgè dá’àn) - “Please immediately notify him”
请 (qǐng lìjí tōngzhī tā) - “I can start immediately”
我 能 ( wǒ néng lìjí kāishǐ)
- “I can’t give you an answer immediately”
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通 过 空 运 (tōngguò kōngyùn) means “by means of air transport”, where通 过 (tōngguò) means “by means of” or “via”, for example:- “she can get through (pass) the exam”
她 能 (tā néng tōngguò kǎoshì) - “you can go through”
您 可 以 (nín kěyǐ tōngguòle) - “I’ll send (it) to you via email”
我 (wǒ tōngguò diànzǐ yóujiàn fā gěi nǐ)
- “she can get through (pass) the exam”
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替 换 (tìhuàn) means “replacement” e.g.- “There is no replacement (substitute) for Mum”
妈 妈 是 不 可 (māmā shì bùkě tìhuàn de) - “change shirt”
(tìhuàn chènyī)
- “There is no replacement (substitute) for Mum”
That is a good idea.
这 是 个 好 主 意 。
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| this is a | good idea |
| zhè shìgè | hǎo zhǔyì |
Notes:
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这 是 个 (zhè shìgè) means “this is a”, and could be written as这 是 一 个 (zhè shì yīgè), literally “this is one” where一 个 (yīgè) can mean both “a” or “one”. -
好 主 意 (hǎo zhǔyì) means “good idea”, here are some examples:- “I feel this isn’t a good idea”
我 觉 得 那 不 是 个 (wǒ juédé nà bùshì gè hǎo zhǔyì) - “That’s a good idea”
这 是 一 个 (zhè shì yīgè hǎo zhǔyì) - “That isn’t a good idea”
这 不 一 个 是 (zhè bùshì yīgè hǎo zhǔyì); note that (yīgè) isn’t required and can be dropped i.e. 这 不 是 (zhè bùshì hǎo zhǔyì)
- “I feel this isn’t a good idea”
If we are all agreed then, I’d like to close the meeting.
如 果 大 家 都 同 意 的 话 ， 那 么 会 议 到 此 结 束 。
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| if | everybody | all | agrees | <conditional> | in that case | meeting | hereto finish |
| rúguǒ | dàjiā | dōu | tóngyì | dehuà | nàme | huìyì | dào cǐ jiéshù |
Notes:
- “if everyone agrees”
如 果 大 家 都 同 (rúguǒ dàjiā dōu tóng) is a great phrase to remember as a set phrase. You could shorten this to just “everyone agrees”大 家 都 同 (dàjiā dōu tóng). Important words here are:- “agree”
同 意 (tóngyì) for example- “I agree”
我 (wǒ tóngyì) - “I don’t agree”
我 不 (wǒ bù tóngyì)
- “I agree”
- “agree”
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的 话 (dehuà) in this sentence is a used in a conditional clause, or more simply, when saying something like “if … then …”, importantly the的 话 (dehuà) is paired as part of “if” and doesn’t mean “then”, specifically in the dialogue sentence如 果 . . . 的 话 (rúguǒ … dehuà) work together as “if”. Here are some other examples of的 话 (dehuà):- “if it rains tomorrow”
(rúguǒ míngtiān xià yǔ dehuà) - ”if you wish“
你 愿 意 (nǐ yuànyì dehuà); this this example 如 果 isn’t used - “don’t be angry at her for what I’ve said”
别 为 她 所 说 (bié wèi tā suǒ shuō dehuà gēn tā shēngqì); here 的 话 (dehuà) is used to say “what was said” or more specifically “what she said”. This other use of的 话 (dehuà) is worth noting.
- “if it rains tomorrow”
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到 此 结 束 (dào cǐ jiéshù) can mean “finish up”, “call it a day” or “call it a night” and should be remembered as a set phrase. Note that another common way of saying “let’s call it a day” is到 此 为 止 (dào cǐ wéizhǐ). Importantly到 此 结 束 (dào cǐ jiéshù) is made up of two words:- “hereto”
到 此 (dào cǐ) is most commonly used when saying that “let’s call it a day / let’s end”, as per the examples above, however it can be used to mean “so far” as in- “so far, what do you think?” (dào cǐ wéizhǐ, nǐ gǎnjué zěnyàng)
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结 束 (jiéshù) means “to finish’ or “to terminate”, for example:- “the meeting finished at 11am”
会 议 上 午 十 一 时 (huìyì shàngwǔ shíyī shí jiéshù) - “concluding remarks”
(jiéshùyǔ) - “at last it’s over!”
终 于 (zhōngyú jiéshùle) - “game over”
游 戏 (yóuxì jiéshù)
- “the meeting finished at 11am”
- “hereto”
Vocabulary
Dialogue Vocabulary
This is important vocabulary from the dialogue:
| English | Chinese | Pronunciation (Pinyin) |
| welcome | huānyíng gèwèi |
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| attend | chūxí |
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| this time | cǐ cì |
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| meeting | huìyì |
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| agenda | yìchéng |
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| project | xiàngmù |
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| status | zhuàngtài |
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| over time | chāo gōngqí |
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| over budget | chāo yùsuàn |
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| to ask | wèn |
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| question | wèntí |
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| of course | dāngrán |
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| cause | zàochéng |
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| delay | yánwù |
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| shipment | zàochéng |
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| vocabulary | gōngyìng shāng |
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| to solve | jiějué |
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| anything | rènhé shìqíng |
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| to tell | gàosù |
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| immediately | lìjí |
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| through, via | tōngguò |
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| air transport | kōngyùn |
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| send | fāsòng |
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| good idea | hǎo zhǔyì |
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| agree | tóngyì |
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| call it a day | dào cǐ jiéshù |
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Summary
This is quite a long dialogue breakdown, so not for the faint hearted. Be sure to check out my other posts on how to tell the time and how to say dates in Chinese.