Negotiating price and terms
Four words carry a Chinese commercial negotiation: 报价 (quote), 起订量 (minimum order quantity), 付款方式 (payment terms) and 交货期 (lead time). And one sentence to recognise rather than say: 我需要请示一下。 — "I'll have to check with my superior", which may be true, a stalling move, or a polite no.
What actually happens
A Chinese commercial negotiation is usually slower, more relational and less linear than an American one. Expect the first meeting to establish who you are rather than settle numbers, expect the price to move several times, and expect decisions to be made after you leave the room rather than in it. None of that is evasion; it is a different sequence.
The phrase to learn to read is 我需要请示一下 — "I need to ask my superior." Sometimes it is literal, because the person in front of you genuinely cannot approve the number. Sometimes it is a courteous way of ending a line of discussion without refusing you outright. Its close relative 我们研究一下 ("we'll study it") more often means no than yes. Pushing for a definitive answer in the room tends to produce a polite one that does not survive the week.
Everything else is vocabulary, and it is worth knowing even if the meeting runs in English — because the numbers on the table will be written in Chinese terms. 起订量 (MOQ) is where most first-time buyers get caught, and 含税 (tax included) versus 不含税 is the difference between two quotes that look identical.
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
Price
Quantity and delivery
Terms and contracts
Holding your ground politely
The bit that isn't language
Ask for every number in writing, in a bilingual email, the same day. Chinese business runs on WeChat and email trails, memories differ, and a friendly written recap — "just confirming: ¥12.40/unit, 含税, MOQ 1,000, 30 days" — is both good practice and a courteous way to hold someone to a figure.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Treating 我们研究一下 as a yes | Treating it as "probably not, for now" | Direct refusal is avoided in most Chinese business settings. Enthusiasm-free acknowledgement is usually the refusal, and reading it as agreement leads to a bad surprise weeks later. |
| Comparing two quotes without checking 含税 | Asking 含税吗？ every time | VAT is 13% on most goods. Two quotes that look 10% apart may be identical, or the cheaper one may be the more expensive one. |
| Pushing for a decision in the room | Sending a written summary the next morning | Decisions are frequently made after the meeting, by people who were not in it. A clear written recap is more persuasive than another hour of pressure. |
Negotiating and pricing — frequently asked questions
What does 起订量 (qǐdìngliàng) mean?
Minimum order quantity — the smallest number of units a supplier will produce. It is the constraint that most often blocks a first order from a foreign buyer. Ask early, and ask whether a 试单 (shìdān, trial order) at a smaller quantity is possible; many suppliers will do one at a higher unit price.
What does it mean when a Chinese counterpart says 我们研究一下?
Literally "we'll study it". In practice it usually means no, or at least not now. Direct refusal is avoided as a courtesy, so a lack of visible enthusiasm is the signal. If you need a real answer, ask what would have to change for the answer to be yes.
Should a contract with a Chinese company be in Chinese?
It should be bilingual, and it should state explicitly which language version governs in a dispute. A Chinese-language version signed by the company with its official chop (公章) is what carries weight locally, so an English-only contract is weaker than it looks.
Is it rude to negotiate hard in China?
No — bargaining is expected in commercial discussions, and an opening quote is understood by both sides to have room in it. What causes damage is public disagreement, visible impatience, or forcing someone to say no outright in front of colleagues. Push on substance, not on the person.
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.