How to address people in Chinese – Names, Titles and Honorifics

Addressing people by their title is very important in Chinese. In English you will be used to addressing people by their first name, however Chinese is more formal. With the exception of colleagues, friends and family, you should generally address people by their title.

What is a Chinese Honorific

A honorific is a title that conveys respect and courtesy to a person’s position and is the equivalent of calling someone “Mr Brown” or “Dr Smith“ in English. In Chinese honorifics are commonly used to address people with whom you are not familiar. It is also important to realise that honorifics are placed after a persons surname in Chinese, so instead of “Mr Wang”, the order is “Wang Mr” 王wáng先Xiān生sheng (wáng xiānshēng) where 先Xiān生sheng (xiānshēng) means “Mister”。

In this post I will cover occupational titles. If you wish to know how to address your family, spouse or extended family, check out my post here.

Chinese names – Romanisation

It is important to understand that the format of Chinese names is Surname followed by given names, which is the opposite of English. The Chinese word for name is 名míng字zi (míngzì) and the word for surname is 姓xìng (xìng). To use an example 周恩来 (who was in fact the first Premier of the Peoples Republic of China) surname was 周zhōu (Zhōu) and given names were 恩ēn来lái (Ēnlái). In English you would write this name as Ēnlái Zhōu so it is understood that Zhōu

Chinese names are written as
Family Name + Given Name
This is the opposite order of English
e.g. Zhou Enlai is Mr Zhou, not Mr Enlai

It is important to understand that Chinese given names can be either one or two characters. Where a Chinese given name has two characters it is written without a space and the second character is not capitalised, thus the standard way or writing 周Zhōu恩En来lái Zhōu Ēnlái and not Zhōu Ēn Lái. This lack of space between the given names does not hold true in some countries outside China such as Malaysia and Singapore, where it is common to place a space between the names and capitalise the second given name (e.g. Zhōu Ēn Lái). Where a Chinese given name is written as two separate words, it is taken as their first name and not their first and middle name. e.g. The first prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, is Mr Lee, and his given name is “Kuan Yew” and not Kuan as “Yew” is not his middle name. Note that here that Mr Lee’s name is not Chinese Pinyin, but the example is useful nonetheless.

Finally, when writing Chinese names in English, the Pinyin tones are often not used, thus Zhōu Ēnlái would be written as Zhou Enlai.

The correct way to add a title to someones name in Chinese

In Chinese a title is always added after the persons name, as respect is given to a persons family name first and foremost. Thus for example Mr Wang is written in Chinese as “Wang Mister” and Doctor Wang would be written as “Wang Doctor”. This is the opposite of English where we add the title in front of a persons name.

In Chinese a persons title always precedes their title
i.e. SURNAME + TITLE

“Mr Wang” is written as “Wang Mister”
“Doctor Wang” is written as “Wang Doctor”

How to say Mr, Mrs, Miss and Ms in Chinese

In Chinese it is very important to address people with Mr, Mrs or Miss. The Chinese words for Mr, Mrs, Miss and Ms are:

• Mr: 先Xiān生sheng (xiānshēng) For example “Mr Wang” 王wáng先Xiān生sheng (wáng xiānshēng)
• Mrs: 太tài太tai (tàitài), for example “Mrs Zhang” 张zhāng太tài太tai (zhāng tàitài)
• Miss: 小xiǎo姐jie (xiǎojiě), for example “Miss Li” 李Lǐ小xiǎo姐jie (lǐ xiǎojiě)
• Ms: 女nǚ士shì (nǚshì), for example “Ms Liu” 刘Liú女nǚ士shì (liú nǚshì)

A few notes:

• “Miss” 小xiǎo姐jie (xiǎojiě) has a negative meaning in some parts of China as it is associated with being a prostitute. It is okay to use this is a formal setting
• “Ms” 女nǚ士shì (nǚshì) is a polite way to address a woman that is loosely equivalent to “Ms” in English.  女nǚ士shì should be used with a woman’s maiden name.

Do Chinese woman take their husbands name?

In Mainland China and many countries with ethnic Chinese such as Malaysia and Singapore, women do not take their husbands name when they marry. A notable exception is Chinese who migrate to Western countries or ethnic Chinese of Western countries, that is Chinese who are born in Western countries, in both cases these women may choose to take their husbands name.

Nicknames in Chinese – xiǎomíng – 小名

Nick names are known as “xiǎomíng” 小xiǎo明míng, which literally means “small name”. It is very common for parents to give their children nick names, and these may stay with them through their adult life. In other cases a nick name is self selected once they are a teenager or start working, especially if the nickname selected by the parents was not suitable for an adult. Nick names can be nearly anything, some examples are máomao 毛Máo毛mao or xiǎomíng 小xiǎo明míng. Some nicknames may simply be the Chinese equivalent of an English name, so for example jīnmǐ 金jīn米mǐ is “Kimy” and tāngmǔ 汤Tāng姆mǔ is “Tom”.

Nicknames are commonly used by friends and at work with close colleagues. If you are meeting someone for the first time but already know their nick name, I recommend waiting for them to ask you to call them by their nick name before you do so.

English names in Chinese

It has become more popular for Chinese to give themselves an English name. Foreign names, including English names, are usually translated phonetically, meaning based on how they sound. Please check out my posts on Female English name translations and Male English name translations to find your name.

Asking how to address someone in Chinese

In some cases it is best to ask someone what they prefer to be called to avoid addressing them incorrectly. To ask someone what they prefer to be called you use the word “to address” 我wǒ该gāi怎zěn么me称chēng呼hu你nǐ？?//ssttrroonngg>>//eemm>>ssttrroonngg>>
wǒ gāi zěnme chēnghu nǐ?

How should I address you?

Broken down this means:

我wǒ	该gāi	怎zěn么me	称chēng呼hu	你nǐ
wǒ	gāi	zěnme	chēnghu	nǐ
I	should	how	address	you

To ask someone what their name you use the word “to call” 叫jiào (jiào) and simply say:

你nǐ叫jiào什shén么me名míng字zi
nǐ jiào shénme míngzì

What are you called? (What is your name?)

To respond you would simply say:

我wǒ叫jiào<name>
wǒ jiào <name>

I’m called <Name>

You can also say your name is:

//ssttrroonngg>>eemm>>ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ的de名míng字zi是shì<name>
wǒ de míngzì shì <name>

My name is <surname)

In both cases you could respond with either your full name or just your given name depending on how familiar you are with the person asking.

In a situation such as during hotel check-in you might respond saying your surname. Here you use the Chinese word for surname 姓xìng (xìng):

//ssttrroonngg>>eemm>>ssttrroonngg>>我wǒ姓xìng<surname>
wǒ xìng <surname>

My surname (is) <surname>

You can also use 姓xìng (xìng) to ask some what their surname is:

//ssttrroonngg>>eemm>>ssttrroonngg>>你nǐ姓xìng什shén么me??
nǐ xìng shénme？

What is your surname?

You might notice text books teaching you to ask someone their surname by saying 你nǐ贵guì姓xìng (nǐ guìxìng) or more likely 您nín贵guì姓xìng (nín guìxìng) where 您nín is a very polite form of “you” 你nǐ (nín) and 贵guì (guì) can be translated as “expensive” or “noble” but is best thought of as a way of being polite when asking for someones surname. Asking 您nín贵guì姓xìng (nín guìxìng) perfectly correct, however it is normally used in very formal situations and not necessary for day to day use such as at work; you may hear this phrase asked at hotels for example when asking for your surname at check-in.

How to address people at work in Chinese

How to address your colleagues in Chinese

Depending on how close you are to your colleagues there are a number of ways you can address them:

• If you are not familiar with them then it is safe to call them by either:
  • Their full name, as previously discussed the surname always comes first, that is <surname> <given name(s)> or
  • As Mr or Mrs, again where their surname is followed by Mr 先Xiān生sheng (xiānshēng) or Mrs 太tài太tai (tàitài)
• If you are familiar with your colleague you can call them:
  • If they have a two character given name, then you can call them by their given name
  • Sometimes where they have a single character given name their name is simply repeated. for example Weiwei 伟wěi伟wěi (wěiwěi).
  • By their nickname, see my brief description of nicknames above.
  • Sometimes you might refer to younger colleagues as little 小xiǎo ( xiǎo) + their <surname> e.g. “little Wang” 小xiǎo王wáng (xiǎo wáng). I’d suggest following the lead of others in the office as to whether to use this.
  • Sometimes you might refer to older colleagues as Old 老lǎo (lǎo) + <surname> e.g. “Old Wang” 大dà王wáng (dàwáng). This isn’t saying your colleague is old but is mean as a acknowledging their seniority in age and can be taken as a form of endearment. Again I’d listen to what others in the office call colleagues and not use 老 to address all of your older colleagues!
    

How to address your boss in Chinese

When addressing your boss you can call them

• As Mr 先Xiān生sheng (xiānshēng) or Mrs 太tài太tai (tàitài), for example Mr Zhang 张zhāng先Xiān生sheng (zhāng xiānshēng) or 王wáng太tài太tai (wáng tàitài)
• As head or chief 总zǒng (zǒng) for example “Chief/head Zhang” 张zhāng总zǒng (zhāng zǒng)
• As boss 老lǎo板bǎn (lǎobǎn)
• If you are very close to your boss you might address them in the same way you address colleagues (see above), however keep in mind that Chinese is more formal than some English speaking countries so being on a first name basis is not as common.

None of these terms are more correct than the other, however if you are new I would suggest calling your boss Mr or Mrs followed by their surname.

How to address subordinates in Chinese

If you have staff who report to you, or are simply addressing more junior employees, a good approach is to just refer to them by their full name, which is perfectly acceptable and common in Chinese. Alternatively if you are more familiar with a subordinate you might call them by

• Their given name, but only when their given name is two characters
• Their nick name, see above
• As 小xiǎo + <surname> where they are younger than you.
• As 老lǎo + <surname> where they are a reasonable number of years older than you, perhaps the same age as your father.

How to address your customers in Chinese

For formal situations refer to your customer as Mr or Mrs and their surname in the standard <surname> + <title> format

For situations less formal you might refer to your customer by their full name or if you are close you can refer to them as you would a colleague or friend. Be careful not to do this unless you are sure that they comfortable with this.

How to address classmates in Chinese

Although it is technically correct to call your classmates “fellow student” 同tóng学xué (tóngxué), literally broken down to mean “same study”, it is not the most common way. Generally you would address your classmates as older/younger female/male classmate：

Chinese	English	Pronunciation (Pinyin)
学xué长zhǎng	Older Male Classmate – “Senior”	xué zhǎng
学xué弟dì	Younger Male Classmate	xué dì
学xué姐jiě	Older Female Classmate	xué jiě
学xué妹mèi	Younger Female Classmate	xué mèi

You’ll notice that all of the above words start with the character “to study” 学xué (xué), and with the exception of 学xué长zhǎng (xuézhǎng) all of the other words use the character for brother and sister, that is:

• 学xué弟dì is:“study” 学xué (xué) + the character for “younger brother” 弟dì (dì)
• 学xué姐jiě is: “study” 学xué (xué) + the character for “older sister” 姐jiě (jiě)
• 学xué妹mèi is: “study” 学xué (xué) + the character for “younger sister” 妹mèi (mèi)

The 长cháng (zhǎng) in 学xué长zhǎng (xuézhǎng) simply means “senior”. Here “older brother” 哥gē (gē) is not used.

If you were addressing all your classmates, you can simply address them as 同tóng学xué们men (tóngxuémen), however it is not uncommon to simply address them as “学长学姐” (xuézhǎng xué jiě), although this literally means means “older male (and) female classmates”. You can specifically address younger classmates by saying “学弟学妹” (xué dì xué mèi) meaning “younger male and female classmates”.

You can also individually refer to class mates as you would friends, that is by either

• Their full name i.e. surname + given names
• Their nick name
• As older or younger classmate (see above)
• As older or younger brother or sister i.e.
  • “older brother”大dà哥gē (dàgē)
  • “older sister 大dà姐jiě (dàjiě)
  • “younger brother” 小xiǎo哥gē (xiǎogē)
  • “little sister’ 小xiǎo妹mèi (xiǎomèi)

How to address children in Chinese

As an adult you can address a child as 孩hái子zi (háizi), meaning “child”, or a group of children as “children” 孩hái子zi们men (háizimen). Here adding 们men (men) simply turns “child” 孩hái子zi (háizi) in to it’s plural form in the same way that “I” 我wǒ (wǒ) becomes “we” 我wǒ们men (wǒmen) or ”he” 他tā (tāmen) becomes ”they” 他tā们menssttrroonngg>> (tāmen).

Examples of this might be a teacher greeting her class in the morning:

[Teacher]
hhááiizziimmeenn zzǎǎoosshhaanngg hhǎǎoo!!
孩子们早上好！
Children, good morning!

[Children]
lǎoshī zǎoshang hǎo!
老lǎo师shī早zǎo上shang好hǎo！!
Teacher, good morning!

You can also refer to a child as literally “little friend” 小xiǎo朋péng友yǒu (xiǎopéngyǒu), or a group of children as “little friends” 小xiǎo朋péng友yǒu们men ( xiǎopéngyǒumen). This is common and is not in any way as creepy or patronising as it possibly sounds in English.

How to address strangers in Chinese

There are a handful of common ways to address strangers including shop assistants, restaurant staff or small business owners in Chinese that are essential vocabulary:

English	Chinese	Pinyin Pronunciations
Mr	先Xiān生sheng	xiānshēng
Miss / ma’am	女nǚ士shì	nǚshì
Waiter or Waitress	服fú务wù员yuán	fúwùyuán
Boss / Small business owner	老lǎo板bǎn	lǎobǎn
Master (Skiller person, driver, etc)	师shī傅fu	shīfù
Assistant	营yíng业yè员yuán	yíngyèyuán
Miss	小xiǎo姐jie	xiǎojiě
Mate / Buddy / Dude	伙huǒ计ji	huǒjì
Uncle	叔shū叔shu	shūshu
Auntie	阿ā姨yí	āyí

I have covered Mr 先Xiān生sheng (xiānshēng) and Miss 小xiǎo姐jie (xiǎojiě) above, however it is important to remember that 小xiǎo姐jie has a negative connotation thus I would avoid using it unless it’s acceptable where you live.

“Waiter” – fúwùyuán 服务员

fúwùyuán 服fú务wù员yuán means “service person” and can be used to address

• Hotel staff
• Customer service people
• Attendants

“Boss” – lǎobǎn 老板

lǎobǎn 老lǎo板bǎn is a generic form of address you can use for someone who is, or you can reasonably expect to be, the business owner, proprietor or manager of a business. Examples of where you might use lǎobǎn 老lǎo板bǎn include

• The restaurant manager or senior person (not the waiter)
• A small business owner, including the person you find siting behind the counter in a small shop who you could reasonably assume owns the business
• A senior person in any business

“Master” – shīfù 师傅

shīfù 师shī傅fu means “master” and is a respectful way to address someone who carries out a skilled occupation. shīfù 师shī傅fu isn’t limited to martial arts masters, which is where you may have heard this term in movies, it also include:

• Drivers, including taxi drivers
• A doorman
• A security guard
• A cobbler (shoe repairer)
• A maintenance person
• An air conditioner installer

”Assistant” – yíngyèyuán 营业员

yíngyèyuán 营yíng业yè员yuán means “service person” and can be used to address

• Service Person
• Clerk
• Sales Person

“Uncle” – shūshu 叔叔 and “Auntie” – āyí 阿姨

Calling someone who is older than you Auntie or Uncle is very common and polite. Technically 叔shū叔shu (shūshu) is the way you should address your fathers younger brother and 阿ā姨yí (āyí) the form of address for your mothers younger sister, however these are also used to address strangers who are older than you. A good rule of thumb is to use auntie or uncle when the person you are referring to is realistically old enough to be your auntie or uncle, that is perhaps a generation older than you.

How to address a girl or boy who is approximately your age

If you are reasonably young, perhaps a teenager or in your twenties, you can call a girl měinǚ 美měi女nǚ, which literally means “beauty” or “beautiful girl”. The equivalent for men is shuàigē 帅shuài哥gē, literally “handsome guy”. This isn’t appropriate for work or formal settings and is best kept for casual environments including but definitely not limited to night clubs, bars, university and social occasions. You will sometimes see sales people one the street refer to people as 美měi女nǚ (měinǚ) or 帅shuài哥gē (shuàigē), however I don’t recommend adopting this as a casual form of address for strangers.

Chinese Occupational Titles

This is a comprehensive list of titles and forms of address, however there are a few special forms of address which I would like to specifically highlight a few common forms of address

How to address a doctor in Chinese

大dà夫fū (dàfū) and 医yī生shēng (yīshēng) are the most common ways to address a doctor in Chinese, however these are not the only ways.

This are  a list of common titles for doctors and their meaning:

Literal Meaning	Chinese	Pinyin Pronunciations	Notes
Medical Master	医yī师shī	yīshī	Used for doctors of traditional medicine
Medical Scholar	医yī生shēng	yīshēng	Used for doctors of both traditional and western medicine
Great Man	大dà夫fū	dàfū	This is a more casual for of address for a doctor

How to address teachers and professors in Chinese

A teacher should be addressed as 老lǎo师shī (lǎoshī) while a doctor of philosophy (PhD) is 博bó士shì (bóshì). As an example you would address a person with the surname of 王 (wáng) as 王wáng老lǎo师shī (wáng lǎoshī) if they were a teacher, or 王wáng博bó士shì (wáng bóshì) if they were a doctor (Ph D).

Complete list of occupations and forms of address in Chinese

Below is a comprehensive list of titles and occupations. You will find that in addressing people in Chinese the title is often added after their family name, so for example 王wáng老lǎo师shī (wáng lǎoshī) “Teacher Wang” and 王wáng厨chú师shī ( wáng chúshī) for “Chef Wang”. Not all titles in this list are necessarily added after a persons family name, as discussed previously you could refer to a doctor as simply 医yī生shēng (yīshēng) and may refer to a teacher as just 老lǎo师shī (lǎoshī).

English	Chinese	Pinyin Pronunciation
accountant	会kuài计jì师shī	kuàijìshī
actor	男nán演yǎn员yuán	nán yǎnyuán
actor (gender neutral)	演yǎn员yuán	yǎnyuán
actress	女nǚ演yǎn员yuán	nǚ yǎnyuán
network administrator	局jú域yù网wǎng管guǎn理lǐ员yuán	júyùwǎng guǎnlǐ yuán
medical insurance administrator	医yī疗liáo保bǎo险xiǎn管guǎn理lǐ	yīliáo bǎoxiǎn guǎnlǐ
applications programmer	应yìng用yòng软ruǎn件jiàn程chéng序xù员yuán	yìngyòng ruǎnjiàn chéngxù yuán
architect	建jiàn筑zhù师shī	jiànzhú shī
artist	艺yì术shù家jiā	yìshùjiā
assistant customer executive	客kè户hù管guǎn理lǐ助zhù理lǐ	kèhù guǎnlǐ zhùlǐ
personnel assistant	人rén事shì助zhù理lǐ	rénshì zhùlǐ
store manager assistant	商shāng店diàn经jīng理lǐ助zhù理lǐ	shāngdiàn jīnglǐ zhùlǐ
assistant vice-president	副fù总zǒng裁cái助zhù理lǐ	fù zǒngcái zhùlǐ
assistant vice-president of human resources	人rén力lì资zī源yuán副fù总zǒng裁cái助zhù理lǐ	rénlì zī yuán fù zǒngcái zhùlǐ
associate professor	副fù教jiào授shòu	fùjiàoshòu
astronaut	宇yǔ航háng员yuán..	yǔháng yuán
attendant	服fú务wù员yuán	fúwùyuán
auditor	审shěn计jì员yuán	shěnjì yuán
auto mechanic	汽qì车chē技jì工gōng	qìchē jìgōng
baker	烘hōng培péi师shī	hōng péi shī
barber	理lǐ发fà师shī	lǐfǎ shī
baseball player	棒bàng球qiú选xuǎn手shǒu	bàngqiú xuǎnshǒu
bell boy	门mén童tóng	mén tóng
bellhop	旅lǚ馆guǎn的de行xíng李li员yuán	lǚguǎn de xínglǐ yuán
benefits coordinator	员yuán工gōng福fú利lì协xié调tiáo员yuán	yuángōng fúlì xiétiáo yuán
garbage collector	清qīng洁jié工gōng,,垃lā圾jī工gōng	qīngjié gōng, lèsè gōng
blacksmith	铁tiě匠jiang	tiějiàng
boxer	拳quán击jī手shǒu	quánjí shǒu
branch manager	部bù门mén经jīng理lǐ	bùmén jīnglǐ
broker (agent)	经jīng纪jì人rén	jīngjì rén
budgeteer	预yù算suàn编biān制zhì者zhě	yùsuàn biānzhì zhě
bus driver	公gōng车chē司sī机jī / 巴bā士shì司sī机jī	gōngchē sījī / bāshì sījī
businessman	商shāng人rén	shāngrén
butcher	屠tú夫fū,,肉ròu商shāng	túfū, ròu shāng
buyer	采cǎi购gòu员yuán	cǎigòu yuán
captain	船chuán长zhǎng	chuánzhǎng
carpenter	木mù匠jiàng	mùjiàng
cartoonist	漫màn画huà家jiā	mànhuà jiā
cashier	出chū纳nà员yuán	chūnà yuán
chairman	总zǒng裁cái	zǒngcái
chef	厨chú师shī	chúshī
chemist	化huà学xué师shī	huàxué shī
claims examiner	主zhǔ考kǎo官guān	zhǔ kǎoguān
clerk	店diàn员yuán	diànyuán
cobbler	制zhì((补bǔ))鞋xié匠jiang	zhì (bǔ) xiéjiàng
compensation manager	薪xīn酬chóu经jīng理lǐ	xīnchóu jīnglǐ
computer operations supervisor	电diàn脑nǎo操cāo作zuò主zhǔ管guǎn	diànnǎo cāozuò zhǔguǎn
computer operator	电diàn脑nǎo操cāo作zuò员yuán	diànnǎo cāozuò yuán
computer programmer	程chéng序xù员yuán	chéngxù yuán
construction worker	建jiàn筑zhù工gōng人rén	jiànzhú gōngrén
controller(general)	管guǎn理lǐ员yuán	guǎnlǐ yuán
controller(international)	国guó际jì监jiān管guǎn	guójì jiānguǎn
cook	厨chú师shī	chúshī
cowboy	牛niú仔zǎi	niúzǎi
customs officer	海hǎi关guān官guān员yuán	hǎiguān guānyuán
dancer	舞wǔ蹈dǎo演yǎn员yuán	wǔdǎoyǎnyuán
dancer	舞wǔ者zhě	wǔ zhě
dentist	牙yá医yī	yáyī
dentist	牙yá科kē医yī生shēng	yákē yīshēng
designer	设shè计jì师shī	shèjì shī
desk clerk	接jiē待dài员yuán	jiēdài yuán
detective	侦zhēn探tàn	zhēntàn
developmental engineer	开kāi发fā工gōng程chéng师shī	kāifā gōngchéngshī
director	经jīng理lǐ	jīnglǐ
director of human resources	人rén力lì资zī源yuán总zǒng监jiān	rénlì zīyuán zǒngjiān
director of information services	信xìn息xī服fú务wù主zhǔ管guǎn	xìnxī fúwù zhǔguǎn
director of operations	运yùn营yíng总zǒng监jiān	yùnyíng zǒngjiān
district manager	市shì区qū经jīng理lǐ	shì qū jīnglǐ
doctor (medical doctor)	大dà夫fū	dàfū
doctor (of traditional medicine)	医yī师shī	yīshī
doctor (ph.d)	博bó士shì	bóshì
doctor (traditional or western medicine)	医yī生shēng	yīshēng
door-to-door salesman	推tuī销xiāo员yuán	tuīxiāo yuán
driver	司sī机jī	sījī
dustman	清qīng洁jié工gōng	qīngjié gōng
editor	编biān辑jí	biānjí
electrician	电diàn工gōng	diàngōng
employer relations representative	员yuán工gōng关guān系xi代dài表biǎo	yuángōng guānxì dàibiǎo
employment consultant	招zhāo募mù顾gù问wèn	zhāomù gùwèn
engineer	工gōng程chéng师shī	gōngchéngshī
executive and managerial	管guǎn理lǐ部bù分fen	guǎnlǐ bùfèn
executive marketing director	市shì场chǎng行xíng政zhèng总zǒng监jiān	shìchǎng xíngzhèng zǒngjiān
facility manager	后hòu勤qín经jīng理lǐ	hòuqín jīnglǐ
farmer	农nóng人rén	nóng rén
farmer	农nóng夫fū	nóngfū
fashion designer	时shí装zhuāng设shè计jì师shī	shízhuāng shèjì shī
field assurance coordinator	土tǔ地dì担dān保bǎo协xié调tiáo员yuán	tǔdì dānbǎo xiétiáo yuán
firefighter	消xiāo房fáng员yuán	xiāofáng yuán
fisherman	渔yú夫fū	yúfū
florist	花huā商shāng	huā shāng
flyer	飞fēi行xíng员yuán	fēixíngyuán
food service manager	食shí品pǐn服fú务wù经jīng理lǐ	shípǐn fúwù jīnglǐ
gardener	花huā匠jiàng((园yuán丁dīng))	huā jiàng (yuándīng)
gas station attendant	加jiā油yóu工gōng	jiāyóu gōng
general manager	总zǒng经jīng理lǐ	zǒng jīnglǐ
graduate	毕bì业yè生shēng	bìyè shēng
guard	警jǐng卫wèi	jǐngwèi
guide	导dǎo游yóu	dǎoyóu
hardware engineer	硬yìng件jiàn工gōng程chéng师shī	yìngjiàn gōngchéngshī
hiredresseer	理lǐ发fà师shī,,美měi容róng师shī((女nǚ))	lǐfǎ shī, měiróng shī (nǚ)
hmo product manager	产chǎn品pǐn经jīng理lǐ	chǎnpǐn jīnglǐ
hospital administrator	医yī院yuàn管guǎn理lǐ	yīyuàn guǎnlǐ
housekeeper	管guǎn家jiā	guǎnjiā
housewife	家jiā庭tíng主zhǔ妇fù	jiātíng zhǔfù
human resources	人rén力lì资zī源yuán部bù分fēn	rénlì zīyuán bùfèn
import/export manager	进jìn出chū口kǒu经jīng理lǐ	jìn chūkǒu jīnglǐ
information analyst	信xìn息xī分fēn析xī	xìnxī fēnxī
insurance claims controller	保bǎo险xiǎn认rèn领lǐng管guǎn理lǐ员yuán	bǎoxiǎn rènlǐng guǎnlǐ yuán
insurance coordinator	保bǎo险xiǎn协xié调tiáo员yuán	bǎoxiǎn xiétiáo yuán
inventory manager	库kù存cún管guǎn理lǐ经jīng理lǐ	kùcún guǎnlǐ jīnglǐ
janitor	清qīng洁jié工gōng	qīngjié gōng
job placement officer	人rén员yuán配pèi置zhì专zhuān员yuán	rényuán pèizhì zhuānyuán
journalist	记jì者zhě	jìzhě
judge	法fǎ官guān	fǎguān
labor relations specialist	劳láo动dòng关guān系xi专zhuān员yuán	láodòng guānxì zhuānyuán
lan systems analyst	系xì统tǒng分fēn析xī	xìtǒng fēnxī
lawyer	律lǜ师shī	lǜshī
librarian	图tú书shū管guǎn理lǐ员yuán	túshū guǎnlǐ yuán
life guard	救jiù生shēng员yuán	Jiùshēng yuán
magician	魔mó术shù师shī	móshù shī
management consultant	管guǎn理lǐ顾gù问wèn	guǎnlǐ gùwèn
manager	经jīng理lǐ	jīnglǐ
manager of network administration	网wǎng络luò管guǎn理lǐ经jīng理lǐ	wǎngluò guǎnlǐ jīnglǐ
manager of non-profit and charities	非fēi盈yíng利lì性xìng慈cí善shàn机jī构gòu管guǎn理lǐ	fēi yínglì xìng císhàn jīgòu guǎnlǐ
manufacturer/’s representative	厂chǎng家jiā代dài表biǎo	chǎngjiā dàibiǎo
manufacturing manager	制zhì造zào业yè经jīng理lǐ	zhìzào yè jīnglǐ
market research analyst	市shì场chǎng调diào查chá分fēn析xī员yuán	shìchǎng tiáo chá fēnxī yuán
marketing and sales	市shì场chǎng与yǔ销xiāo售shòu部bù分fen	shìchǎng yǔ xiāoshòu bùfèn
marketing and sales director	市shì场chǎng与yǔ销xiāo售shòu总zǒng监jiān	shìchǎng yǔ xiāoshòu zǒngjiān
marketing consultant	市shì场chǎng顾gù问wèn	shìchǎng gùwèn
masseur	男nán按àn摩mó师shī	nán ànmó shī
masseuse	女nǚ按àn摩mó师shī	nǚ ànmó shī
mathematician	数shù学xué家jiā	shùxué jiā
mechanic	机jī械xiè师shī ,,机jī修xiū工gōng	jīxiè shī, jīxiū gōng
merchandising manager	采cǎi购gòu经jīng理lǐ	cǎigòu jīnglǐ
miner	矿kuàng工gōng	kuànggōng
it (computer) manager	电diàn脑nǎo部bù经jīng理lǐ	diànnǎo bù jīnglǐ
model	模mó特tè儿r	mótè ér
monk	和hé尚shang,,教jiào士shì	héshàng, jiàoshì
movie director	导dǎo演yǎn	dǎo yǎn
movie star	电diàn影yǐng明míng星xīng	diànyǐng míngxīng
musician	音yīn乐yuè家jiā	yīnyuè jiā
nun	尼ní姑gū	nígū
nurse	护hù士shi	hùshì
office clerk	职zhí员yuán	zhíyuán
office worker	上shàng班bān族zú	shàngbān zú
operations analyst	操cāo作zuò分fēn析xī	cāozuò fēnxī
operations manager	操cāo作zuò经jīng理lǐ	cāozuò jīnglǐ
operator	接jiē线xiàn员yuán	jiēxiànyuán
parachutist	跳tiào伞sǎn人rén..	tiàosǎn rén.
personnel	职zhí员yuán	zhíyuán
personnel consultant	员yuán工gōng顾gù问wèn	yuángōng gùwèn
personnel manager	职zhí员yuán经jīng理lǐ	zhíyuán jīnglǐ
pharmacist	药yào剂jì师shī	yàojì shī
photographer	摄shè影yǐng师shī	shèyǐng shī
pilot	飞fēi行xíng员yuán	fēixíngyuán
planner	计jì划huà员yuán	jìhuà yuán
policeman	警jǐng察chá	jǐngchá
postal clerk	邮yóu政zhèng人rén员yuán	yóuzhèng rényuán
postman	邮yóu差chāi	yóuchāi
president	总zǒng统tǒng	zǒngtǒng
product support manager	产chǎn品pǐn支zhī持chí经jīng理lǐ	chǎnpǐn zhīchí jīnglǐ
production manager	生shēng产chǎn经jīng理lǐ	shēngchǎn jīnglǐ
program manager	程chéng序xù管guǎn理lǐ经jīng理lǐ	chéngxù guǎnlǐ jīnglǐ
project manager	项xiàng目mù经jīng理lǐ	xiàngmù jīnglǐ
property manager	房fáng地dì产chǎn经jīng理lǐ	fángdìchǎn jīnglǐ
real estate appraiser	房fáng地dì产chǎn评píng估gū师shī	fángdìchǎn pínggū shī
recruiter	招zhāo聘pìn人rén员yuán	zhāopìn rényuán
regional manager	区qū域yù经jīng理lǐ	qūyù jīnglǐ
regional sales manager	地dì区qū销xiāo售shòu经jīng理lǐ	dìqū xiāoshòu jīnglǐ
retail store manager	零líng售shòu店diàn经jīng理lǐ	língshòu diàn jīnglǐ
sales assistant	销xiāo售shòu助zhù理lǐ	xiāoshòu zhùlǐ
sales manager	销xiāo售shòu经jīng理lǐ	xiāoshòu jīnglǐ
sales representative	销xiāo售shòu代dài表biǎo	xiāoshòu dàibiǎo
school principal	校xiào长zhǎng	xiàozhǎng
secretary	秘mì书shū	mìshū
senior customer manager	高gāo级jí客kè户hù经jīng理lǐ	gāojí kèhù jīnglǐ
service manager	服fú务wù经jīng理lǐ	fúwù jīnglǐ
singer	歌gē手shǒu	gēshǒu
soldier	军jūn人rén	jūnrén
statistician	统tǒng计jì员yuán	tǒngjì yuán
systems engineer	系xì统tǒng工gōng程chéng师shī	xìtǒng gōngchéngshī
systems programmer	系xì统tǒng程chéng序xù员yuán	xìtǒng chéngxù yuán
tailor	裁cái缝fèng师shī	cáiféng shī
teacher	老lǎo师shī	lǎoshī
technical engineer	技jì术shù工gōng程chéng师shī	jìshù gōngchéngshī
technician	技jì术shù人rén员yuán	jìshù rényuán
tele-interviewer	电diàn话huà调diào查chá员yuán	diànhuà diàochá yuán
telecommunications manager	电diàn信xìn业yè经jīng理lǐ	diànxìn yè jīnglǐ
training coordinator	培péi训xùn协xié调tiáo员yuán	péixùn xiétiáo yuán
training specialist	培péi训xùn专zhuān员yuán	péixùn zhuānyuán
transportation manager	运yùn输shū经jīng理lǐ	yùnshū jīnglǐ
typist	打dǎ字zì员yuán	dǎzì yuán
vending manager	售shòu买mǎi经jīng理lǐ	shòu mǎi jīnglǐ
vice-president	副fù总zǒng裁cái	fù zǒngcái
vice-president of human resources	人rén力lì资zī源yuán副fù总zǒng裁cái	rénlì zīyuán fù zǒngcái
vice-president of sales	销xiāo售shòu副fù总zǒng裁cái	xiāoshòu fù zǒngcái
waiter	侍shì应yìng	shì yìng
waiter / attendant	服fú务wù员yuán	fúwùyuán
warehouse manager	仓cāng库kù经jīng理lǐ	cāngkù jīnglǐ
wholesale buyer	批pī发fā采cǎi购gòu员yuán	pīfā cǎigòu yuán
worker	工gōng人rén	gōngrén

How to say CEO in Chinese

If you’ve ever wondered how to address a CEO, CFO or other senior executives in Chinese, this is a useful list:

English	Chinese	Pinyin Pronunciations
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)	首shǒu席xí行xíng政zhèng官guān	shǒuxí xíngzhèng guān
Chief Brand Officer (CBO)	首shǒu席xí品pǐn牌pái官guān	shǒuxí pǐnpái guān
Chief Cultural Officer (CCO)	首shǒu席xí文wén化huà官guān	shǒuxí wénhuà guān
Chief Development Officer (CDO)	首shǒu席xí开kāi发fā官guān	shǒuxí kāifā guān
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)	首shǒu席xí执zhí行xíng官guān	shǒuxí zhíxíng guān
Chief Finance Officer (CFO)	首shǒu席xí财cái务wù官guān	shǒuxí cáiwù guān
Chief Gonverment Officer (CGO)	首shǒu席xí政zhèng府fǔ关guān系xi官guān	shǒuxí zhèngfǔ guānxì guān
Chief Human Resource Officer	首shǒu席xí人rén事shì官guān	shǒuxí rénshì guān
Chief Information Officer (CIO)	首shǒu席xí信xìn息xī官guān	shǒuxí xìnxī guān
Chief Knowledge Officer	首shǒu席xí知zhī识shi官guān	shǒuxí zhīshì guān
Chief Legal Officer (CLO)	首shǒu席xí法fǎ律lǜ官guān	shǒuxí fǎlǜ guān
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)	首shǒu席xí市shì场chǎng官guān	shǒuxí shìchǎng guān
Chief Negotiation Officer (CNO)	首shǒu席xí谈tán判pàn官guān	shǒuxí tánpàn guān
Chief Operations Officer (COO)	首shǒu席xí运yùn营yíng官guān	shǒuxí yùnyíng guān
Chief Public Relation Officer	首shǒu席xí公gōng关guān官guān	shǒuxí gōngguān guān
Chief Quality Officer	首shǒu席xí质zhì量liàng官guān	shǒuxí zhìliàng guān
Chief Research Officer	研yán究jiū总zǒng监jiān	yánjiū zǒngjiān
Chief Solution Officer	首shǒu席xí问wèn题tí官guān	shǒuxí wèntí guān
Chief Technology Officer	首shǒu席xí技jì术shù官guān	shǒuxí jìshù guān
Chief User Officer	客kè户hù总zǒng监jiān	kèhù zǒngjiān
Chinese XO (CXO)	中Zhōng国guó洋yáng酒jiǔ	zhōngguó yángjiǔ

Conclusion

Titles are commonly used in Chinese. Keep in mind that Chinese is more formal than many English speaking countries, so err on the side of caution and be more polite than you would normally be in English when addressing people; if the person you are speaking to thinks you are being too formal they will let you know to call them something more casual.