Give a Compliment at the Office: How to Address Colleagues with Respect Using Chinese!
Business relationships can be just as influential as personal ones in our daily lives, if you spend a lot of time at work. My fellow teachers and I are constantly interacting with one another, and this makes our lives richer and more fun, and it makes us better teachers! If you work in an office, or have any role in a company (where Mandarin is spoken), and are cultivating relationships, this is a great word to know:
“资深 (zīshēn)”
Particularly in the business field, you can use “资深 (zīshēn)” to compliment your partners who have rich work experience in any specific field. I use this with teachers who are older, wiser and have more experience than me. It has helped to closen our relationship and cultivate a deeper friendship. They feel respect every time I use it.
So what does it mean, exactly?
资深 (zīshēn): adj. senior; elder.
Example 1: Jack shì yì míng zīshēn de dǎoyǎn. Jack 是 一 名 资深 的 导演. Jack is a senior director.
Example 2: Ann shì yí gè fēicháng zīshēn de wàikē yīshēng. Ann 是 一 个 非常 资深 的 外科 医生. Ann is a quite senior surgeon.
But what’s the real meaning of these characters, when broken down? 资 (zī): n.
资 (zī) also can be expressed with “资历 (zīlì)” here which means qualifications and record of service, seniority.
深 (shēn): adj. deep, far.
Do you see how this is a great compliment when you’re...
...for the Full Lesson on BUSINESS LANGUAGE IN CHINA WITH COLLEAGUES YOU CAN READ ALONG WITH US HERE!
