Lesson 13: Economy & Business

Discuss economic and business topics using 在...方面, 就...而言, and formal business vocabulary at B1 level.

hsk-4lessonb1

Overview

Business and economic vocabulary appear constantly in Chinese news, interviews, and professional settings. At B1 level you need to go beyond listing facts and instead make structured arguments about economic trends, compare sectors, and discuss business decisions. The patterns 在...方面 (in the area of) and 就...而言 (as far as...is concerned) are the workhorses of analytical written Chinese. They allow you to partition a complex topic and address each part systematically, which is exactly how Chinese reports, presentations, and business communication are organized.

Learning Objectives

  • Discuss economic topics using 经济, 市场, 投资, 合同, 谈判, and 利润.
  • Use 在...方面 to organize analytical discussion by aspect.
  • Apply 就...而言 to frame evaluative statements about specific topics.
  • Produce structured business-register sentences and short paragraphs.

Vocabulary

Character Pinyin Type Meaning Example
经济 jīngjì n/adj economy; economic 经济发展
市场 shìchǎng n market 国内市场
投资 tóuzī v/n to invest; investment 吸引投资
合同 hétong n contract 签订合同
谈判 tánpàn v/n to negotiate; negotiation 进行谈判
利润 lìrùn n profit 提高利润
竞争力 jìngzhēnglì n competitiveness 增强竞争力
合作 hézuò v/n to cooperate; cooperation 双方合作
品牌 pǐnpái n brand 建立品牌
战略 zhànlüè n strategy 发展战略
消费者 xiāofèizhě n consumer 吸引消费者
出口 chūkǒu v/n to export; export 扩大出口
进口 jìnkǒu v/n to import; import 减少进口
增长 zēngzhǎng v/n to grow; growth 经济增长

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: 在 + NP + 方面

Structure: 在 + [topic NP] + 方面, + comment

This frames a specific aspect for discussion, similar to "in terms of X" or "in the area of X." It is essential for organized business and academic Chinese.

Chinese Pinyin English
在市场竞争方面，该公司面临巨大压力。 Zài shìchǎng jìngzhēng fāngmiàn, gāi gōngsī miànlín jùdà yālì. In terms of market competition, the company faces enormous pressure.
在技术创新方面，这家企业走在了行业前列。 Zài jìshù chuàngxīn fāngmiàn, zhè jiā qǐyè zǒu zài le hángyè qiánliè. In the area of technological innovation, this enterprise is at the forefront of the industry.
在合作条件方面，双方还需要进一步协商。 Zài hézuò tiáojiàn fāngmiàn, shuāngfāng hái xūyào jìnyībù xiéshāng. In terms of cooperation conditions, both parties need further discussion.

Common mistake: Do not place 在...方面 after the main verb. It is a topic frame and must precede the main clause.

Pattern 2: 就 + NP + 而言

Structure: 就 + [topic NP] + 而言, + evaluative comment

This pattern is more evaluative than 在...方面. It signals that the speaker is making a judgment or assessment specifically from the angle of the stated topic. It appears frequently in analytical and argumentative writing.

Chinese Pinyin English
就利润而言，这次投资并不理想。 Jiù lìrùn éryán, zhè cì tóuzī bìng bù lǐxiǎng. As far as profit is concerned, this investment is not ideal.
就发展战略而言，公司需要重新评估市场定位。 Jiù fāzhǎn zhànlüè éryán, gōngsī xūyào chóngxīn pínggū shìchǎng dìngwèi. As far as development strategy is concerned, the company needs to re-evaluate its market positioning.
就整体经济形势而言，下半年的预期较为乐观。 Jiù zhěngtǐ jīngjì xíngshì éryán, xià bàn nián de yùqī jiào wéi lèguān. As far as the overall economic situation is concerned, expectations for the second half of the year are fairly optimistic.

Pattern 3: 双方 / 各方 + Verb in negotiation context

Business Chinese frequently involves discussing multiple parties and their roles.

Chinese Pinyin English
双方经过多轮谈判，最终签订了合同。 Shuāngfāng jīngguò duō lún tánpàn, zuìzhōng qiāndìng le hétong. After multiple rounds of negotiation, both parties finally signed the contract.
各方同意在平等互利的基础上开展合作。 Gè fāng tóngyì zài píngděng hùlì de jīchǔ shàng kāizhǎn hézuò. All parties agreed to conduct cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.

Dialogue

Context: A business meeting between two companies exploring a partnership.

A: 感谢贵公司今天安排这次会议，我们对合作机会非常感兴趣。
Gǎnxiè guì gōngsī jīntiān ānpái zhè cì huìyì, wǒmen duì hézuò jīhuì fēicháng gǎn xìngqù.
Thank you for arranging this meeting. We are very interested in the cooperation opportunity.

B: 我们也很高兴有这个机会交流。就目前市场情况而言，双方的合作空间很大。
Wǒmen yě hěn gāoxìng yǒu zhège jīhuì jiāoliú. Jiù mùqián shìchǎng qíngkuàng éryán, shuāngfāng de hézuò kōngjiān hěn dà.
We are also glad to have this opportunity to communicate. As far as the current market situation is concerned, there is great scope for cooperation.

A: 在技术方面，我们有较强的研发能力，但在市场推广方面还有不足。
Zài jìshù fāngmiàn, wǒmen yǒu jiào qiáng de yánfā nénglì, dàn zài shìchǎng tuīguǎng fāngmiàn hái yǒu bùzú.
In terms of technology, we have relatively strong R&D capabilities, but in terms of market promotion, we still have weaknesses.

B: 我们正好相反。在市场渠道方面，我们有丰富的经验，可以帮助贵公司拓展业务。
Wǒmen zhènghǎo xiāngfǎn. Zài shìchǎng qúdào fāngmiàn, wǒmen yǒu fēngfù de jīngyàn, kěyǐ bāngzhù guì gōngsī tuòzhǎn yèwù.
We are exactly the opposite. In terms of market channels, we have extensive experience and can help your company expand its business.

A: 就利润分配而言，我们希望能以技术入股的方式参与合作。
Jiù lìrùn fēnpèi éryán, wǒmen xīwàng néng yǐ jìshù rùgǔ de fāngshì cānyù hézuò.
As far as profit distribution is concerned, we hope to participate through a technology equity contribution.

B: 这个方式我们可以考虑，但在具体条款方面，还需要进一步谈判。
Zhège fāngshì wǒmen kěyǐ kǎolǜ, dàn zài jùtǐ tiáokuǎn fāngmiàn, hái xūyào jìnyībù tánpàn.
We can consider this approach, but in terms of specific terms, further negotiation is still needed.

A: 当然，等双方团队充分沟通之后，我们就可以起草初步的合同了。
Dāng rán, děng shuāngfāng tuánduì chōngfèn gōutōng zhīhòu, wǒmen jiù kěyǐ qǐcǎo chūbù de hétong le.
Of course. Once both teams have communicated fully, we can draft an initial contract.

Extended Reading

近年来，中国经济保持了相对稳定的增长态势。在出口方面，中国仍然是全球最大的出口国之一，但随着劳动力成本的上升，传统制造业的竞争力有所下降。在国内消费方面，中产阶级的扩大带动了服务业和消费品市场的快速发展。就整体战略而言，许多中国企业正在从价格竞争转向品牌竞争，积极拓展国际市场。在吸引外资方面，中国的营商环境持续改善，越来越多的跨国公司选择在中国扩大投资规模。

Jìnnián lái, Zhōngguó jīngjì bǎochí le xiāngduì wěndìng de zēngzhǎng tàishì. Zài chūkǒu fāngmiàn, Zhōngguó réngrán shì quánqiú zuì dà de chūkǒu guó zhī yī, dàn suízhe láodònglì chéngběn de shàngshēng, chuántǒng zhìzàoyè de jìngzhēnglì yǒu suǒ xiàjiàng. Zài guónèi xiāofèi fāngmiàn, zhōngchǎn jiējí de kuòdà dàidòng le fúwùyè hé xiāofèipǐn shìchǎng de kuàisù fāzhǎn. Jiù zhěngtǐ zhànlüè éryán, xǔduō Zhōngguó qǐyè zhèngzài cóng jiàgé jìngzhēng zhuǎnxiàng pǐnpái jìngzhēng, jījí tuòzhǎn guójì shìchǎng.

In recent years, the Chinese economy has maintained relatively stable growth momentum. In terms of exports, China remains one of the world's largest exporters, but as labor costs rise, the competitiveness of traditional manufacturing has declined somewhat. In terms of domestic consumption, the expansion of the middle class has driven rapid development of the service industry and consumer goods market. In terms of overall strategy, many Chinese enterprises are shifting from price competition to brand competition, actively expanding into international markets.

Practice

Exercise 1: Reorganize the sentence using 在...方面 or 就...而言.

  1. 这家公司的营销做得不好。→ (在...方面) ___
  2. 投资回报率来看，这个项目很划算。→ (就...而言) ___

Exercise 2: Complete with appropriate vocabulary.

  1. 双方经过三轮___，终于达成了协议。
  2. 提高产品___是这个品牌的核心战略。
  3. 这个市场对外资很___，吸引了大量投资。

Exercise 3: Write a short business proposal paragraph (6-8 sentences) pitching a cooperation idea. Use 在...方面 at least twice and 就...而言 once.

Cultural Note

Business negotiations in China often involve a longer relationship-building phase than Western counterparts typically expect. The Chinese concept of 先建关系，再谈生意 (first build the relationship, then discuss business) reflects the 关系 culture covered in Lesson 11. Signing a contract is not necessarily the end of negotiation: Chinese business culture treats contracts as frameworks that can be renegotiated as circumstances change, rather than as binding final documents. Foreign business partners who treat a signed contract as immutable can find themselves in misaligned expectations. Understanding this cultural context makes the business vocabulary in this lesson far more practically useful.