HEYGOW
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中文
Phone & messaging 100
100
phrases
Making a call
10
喂 is the telephone hello and nothing else - saying it face to face would be odd. Note the tone: on the phone it is wéi, second tone, not the fourth-tone wèi that means "hey". 一直占线 - the line has been busy - and 我打错了 - wrong number - are the two you will need without warning.
Taking a call
10
我就是 - "I am he" - is how you confirm that the person asked for is you, and it has no natural English equivalent beyond "speaking". 您是哪位 asks who is calling and is more polite than it looks. 我现在不方便 declines to talk without giving a reason, which is sufficient.
Putting someone through
10
转 means to transfer a call, and 分机 is the extension - 请转三号分机, put me through to extension three. The set also covers the polite brush-off: 他不在座位上 says he is away from his desk without committing to when he will be back, which is the point.
Leaving a message
10
转告 means to pass a message on, and 请转告他一声 - please just let him know - uses 一声 to make the request small: one utterance, no more. 我姓王，他知道 is a compact and very Chinese way of identifying yourself: the surname plus the assurance that context will do the rest.
A bad line
10
断断续续 - a doubled pair meaning "breaking up" - describes a patchy connection, and the reduplication is doing exactly what it sounds like. 信号不好 blames the signal, which is the socially neutral explanation. 我换个地方 announces you are moving to somewhere with better reception rather than ending the call.
Ending the call
10
你先挂吧 - "you hang up first" - is a real politeness and can go back and forth a couple of times before someone gives in. 我不打扰你了 - I won't take up more of your time - frames the ending as consideration for the other person, which is how a Chinese call closes rather than a flat goodbye.
Sending a message
10
我发语音吧 - "I'll send a voice message" - is worth understanding because voice notes are far more common in Chinese messaging than in most other languages: typing characters is slower than speaking, so people speak. 我截图给你 - I'll screenshot it for you - is the other reflex.
Replying
10
不好意思，刚看到 - "sorry, I've only just seen it" - is the standard apology for a late reply and is used whether or not it is true. 你怎么不回我 asks why someone has not replied and carries real reproach, so it belongs to close relationships rather than colleagues.
Group chats
10
拉 - to pull - is the verb for adding someone to a group: 我拉你进群, I'll pull you into the group. Group chats are how Chinese organisations actually run, which is why 我设置了免打扰 - I've muted it - is a survival skill rather than a rudeness.
Notifications
10
拉黑 - literally "pull black" - means to block someone, and it is as final as it sounds. 已读了吗 asks whether a message has been read, which matters less in WeChat than in some apps because WeChat deliberately does not show read receipts for personal chats.
Related categories
Weather & seasons 100
Accommodation 100
Work & office 100
School & study 100
Home & daily life 100
Body & health 100
Hobbies & leisure 100
Internet & phone 100
中文