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How do you translate Chinese messages? Writing clearly to a Chinese supplier

A factory in Shenzhen, a wholesaler in Yiwu or a manufacturer you found on Alibaba: anyone who does business with China meets a Chinese message sooner or later. The writing system has nothing in common with English, but you do not need to know Chinese to write well. Short, clear sentences and a few habits make sure the translation lands the way you meant it.

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Write short, clear sentences

Translation works best on sentences that say one thing. Instead of one long sentence with several clauses, put each request in its own sentence: the product first, then the quantity, then the date.

Avoid idioms, jokes and vague phrases like “something along those lines”. “Could you send one sample each in black and grey?” translates far more accurately than “a couple of the colours would be great”.

Names and titles

In Chinese business writing you address people by surname and title. The surname comes first in Chinese: in Zhang Min, Zhang is the family name. These patterns come out natural in translation:

  • Opening: “Hello Mr Zhang” or “Hello Ms Li” (张先生您好 / 李女士您好).
  • Polite request: “We would appreciate it if...” or “Could you send...?”
  • Closing: “Thank you” (谢谢) or “We look forward to your reply” (期待您的回复).
  • Sales staff often use an English name (Lucy, Kevin); addressing them by it is perfectly fine.

Writing on WeChat

In China most business conversation happens on WeChat, not email. Messages there are short and quick; several short messages feel more natural than one long email.

It is a good habit to sum up an important decision, price or delivery date in a single message at the end: “To confirm: 500 pieces, black, loading on 15 December, unit price USD 4.20.” Both sides can then be sure they understood the same thing.

Samples, orders and confirmation

Most misunderstandings with suppliers come from numbers and sizes. Write quantities as digits, give sizes with their units (cm, kg) and name the colour and material plainly.

A reply like “OK” does not always mean agreement; sometimes it only means the message was received. When you need a clear answer, ask a yes-or-no question: “Will the samples be shipped by 10 November?”

Dates, times, money and numbers

Dates in China are written year/month/day (2026年11月10日); writing the month as a word, “10 November 2026”, is the safest way to avoid confusion.

Say which currency you mean: yuan (RMB, CNY) or US dollars. China is on UTC+8 all year with no daylight saving, so name the time zone when you set a call. Factories can close for several weeks around Chinese New Year; discuss orders that fall in that period well ahead.

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