The business dinner
At a Chinese business dinner the host sits facing the door, orders for everyone, and toasts first. Your job is to toast back: 我敬您一杯。 ("I'd like to toast you"), glass held lower than the senior person's. To drink less, say 我随意，您随便。 — I'll sip, you please yourself.
What actually happens
The dinner is not an add-on to the meeting; in a lot of Chinese business relationships it is the meeting. Deals that stalled politely in a conference room move at a round table, and declining an invitation without an unarguable reason is a real setback. Go, stay to the end, and let the host run it.
Two structural facts explain most of the etiquette. Seating is by seniority — the host takes the seat facing the door, the guest of honour sits to the host's left, and everyone else is placed by rank, so wait to be seated rather than choosing. And ordering is the host's privilege: they will order for the table, ask what you cannot eat, and be embarrassed if there is not visibly too much food.
Toasting has an order and a hierarchy. The host toasts the table first, then individuals toast individuals — always upward first, most senior person first. When you clink with someone senior, hold the rim of your glass below theirs; it is a small, deliberate gesture and it is noticed. 干杯 literally means "dry the glass", so if you do not intend to empty it, say 随意 instead. For the full history and the regional variations, see our guide to saying cheers in Chinese.
What they'll say back to you
Understanding the reply is the half of the conversation phrasebooks skip. These are the lines you will actually hear in this situation — learn to recognise them, not to say them.
What to say
Arriving and being seated
Toasting
Drinking less, politely
Eating and leaving
The bit that isn't language
Eat something before you go, and never toast on an empty stomach — 白酒 (báijiǔ) is commonly 50%+ alcohol and is served in a glass small enough to make that easy to forget. Pacing yourself is respected; needing to be helped to a taxi is remembered.
Quick quiz — 5 questions
Five questions built from the phrases above: you get the English, you pick the Chinese. No sign-up, no score kept — just a check that they have stuck.
How do you say this?
Common mistakes
| ✗ What visitors do | ✓ What works | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Clinking glass-to-glass at the same height with a senior person | Holding your rim lower | The height difference is a deliberate mark of respect. Matching heights with the most senior person at the table is a small but very visible misstep. |
| Refusing a toast outright | 我以茶代酒。 | Refusing the toast declines the relationship, not the drink. Substituting tea accepts the gesture and skips the alcohol, which is what everyone actually cares about. |
| Insisting on paying | Offering once, then thanking them | The host invited you and paying is their role. Winning the bill fight takes away the thing they arranged the evening to do. |
Business dining and toasting — frequently asked questions
How do I politely refuse alcohol at a Chinese business dinner?
Give a reason and offer a substitute: 我开车，不能喝酒 (I'm driving), 我在吃药 (I'm on medication), or the classic 我以茶代酒 (yǐ chá dài jiǔ — I'll toast with tea instead). All three are entirely acceptable. What matters is joining the toast, not what is in the glass.
What does 干杯 (gānbēi) mean?
Literally "dry the glass" — it is an invitation to empty it, not a general "cheers". If you don't intend to finish your drink, say 我随意 (wǒ suíyì — "I'll go at my own pace") when you raise it. Our full guide to toasting in Chinese covers the regional variations.
Where do you sit at a Chinese business dinner?
Wait to be seated. The host takes the seat facing the door, the guest of honour sits to the host's left, and the rest of the table is arranged by seniority outward from there. Choosing your own seat risks taking someone else's place in the hierarchy.
Who pays at a Chinese business dinner?
The host, always — the person who issued the invitation. Offering once is polite; insisting is not, because paying is the role they took on by inviting you. Reciprocate by hosting the next dinner instead.
Next
Before you fly
Work through the whole trip in Ready for a trip to China in 30 days, play Travel Survival Sprint to make the phrases automatic, practise saying them aloud in Airport Roleplay, or look up anything else in the Chinese → Pinyin translator.