AIC #4: Job Introductions (from Basic Office Topics)
出差，羡慕，无聊
Note from John
We’re switching gears a little in Accessible Intermediate Chinese (AIC) today. Instead of drawing from “This Modern China” again, we’ve got a dialogue about business trips from our course “Basic Office Topics.”
There’s a lot we could have covered in today’s dialogue; it was a conscious choice to focus on a few choice points. Is there something you would have liked to hear more about? Ask us a question!
发音: Tough sounds
In Lesson 1, you’ll encounter 3 tricky sound pairs that are easy to mix up: x- vs. sh-, q- vs. ch-, and j- vs. zh-. If you’re still unclear on the difference, then you haven’t gotten a handle on it. Take the time to really master it! It will do wonders for your interactions in Chinese.
x- vs. sh-: Why does “xièxie” sound so different from “shì”? Both sounds might feel like variations of the English “sh” — but they’re not. The key is your tongue position. For pinyin “sh-”, your tongue tip curls up and back (retroflex). For pinyin “x-”, the tongue tip stays down, behind your lower front teeth, while the middle of your tongue rises toward the roof of your mouth. It feels strange at first, because this position simply doesn’t exist in English. A good way to test yourself: you should be able to smile comfortably while making the “x-” sound. Try it with “xièxie” and see. (Audio samples and practice words can be found on the AllSet Learning Pronunciation Wiki page: Tough sounds x-sh-, q-ch-, j-zh- (phrases)
q- vs. ch-: Isn’t “q-” just the English “ch” sound? It sounds that way at first, and plenty of pronunciation guides will tell you they’re the same — but they’re not. Pinyin “ch-” is retroflex (tongue curled back), just like “sh-”. Pinyin “q-”, on the other hand, is made with the tongue tip down, just like “x-”. Think of “q-” as the “ch-” version of “x-”: same new tongue position, different mouth shape. Once you have “x-” under control, “q-” will follow naturally. (Audio samples and practice words can be found on the AllSet Learning Pronunciation Wiki page: Tough sounds x-sh-, q-ch-, j-zh- (phrases)
j- vs. zh-: Isn’t “j-” just the English “j” sound? Same story. Pinyin “zh-” curls the tongue back, much like the English “j.” Pinyin “j-”, however, uses the same tongue-down position as “x-” and “q-” — so it’s a completely different sound from English “j,” even though it looks familiar. The pattern across all three pairs is exactly the same: the zh-/ch-/sh- sounds are retroflex (tongue back), while j-/q-/x- are not (tongue forward and down). Learn the pattern once, apply it to all three. (Audio samples and practice words can be found on the AllSet Learning Pronunciation Wiki page: Tough sounds x-sh-, q-ch-, j-zh- (phrases)
对话：Job Introductions
Two co-workers talk about a third co-worker’s business trips, as well as their own feelings on business-related travel and working overtime.
陈子文：马一一，你知道吗？小王又出差了。
马一一：是吗，他这个月已经出差三次了。
陈子文：我真羡慕他，天天待在办公室里无聊死了。
马一一：我不喜欢出差，出差累死了。
陈子文：出差多好啊！不用按时上班，自己在外面多自由啊！
马一一：可是，出差的时候，常常需要在酒店加班写报告，挺辛苦的。
陈子文：出差的时候还可以顺便旅游一下，尝尝各地美食。
马一一：那你下次也跟老板申请和小王一起去出差吧。
陈子文：小王是销售部的，我是人事部的，我没有出差的机会。
马一一：那你就好好地待在办公室里工作吧。
NOTE: If you need more pinyin, be sure to install a pinyin popup browser extension. We like the “Zhongwen” one because the name is so easy to remember.
词汇：
羡慕 (xiànmù) to be envious of
待 (dāi) to stay
无聊 (wúliáo) boring; bored
按时 (ànshí) on time
自由 (zìyóu) freedom, liberty
辛苦 (xīnkǔ) to be a lot of hard work, toilsome
顺便 (shùnbiàn) while we’re at it...
尝 (cháng) to try (a food)
各地 (gèdì) in all parts of (of a land)
美食 (měishí) gourmet food
申请 (shēnqǐng) to apply (for)
销售部 (xiāoshòu bù) sales department
人事部 (rénshì bù) human resources department
语法：
We’ll just look at one basic pattern this time. For more explanation, be sure to follow the links to AllSet Learning’s very own Chinese Grammar Wiki.
Expressing “quite” with “ting”
If you still find yourself using 很 a lot, it’s time to branch out and get a little more natural variation with 挺. It’s not the end of the world if you forget the 的 on the end (and sometimes you do hear that), but it’s better to include it if you can get into the habit.
文化：
Why Business Trips Can Be Both Envied and Avoided
In China, business trips can sound exciting… but not everyone wants them.
You might be wondering: in this week’s dialogue, why does one speaker envy a co-worker who travels for work, while another says business trips are exhausting? Which view is more common?
For many office workers, business trips represent a break from routine office life. They may offer more independence, new environments, and the chance to visit different cities. That can make them seem attractive from the outside.
At the same time, business travel often comes with long schedules, pressure to perform, and extra tasks like writing reports after hours. So while it may look glamorous, it can also be tiring.
As in many countries, opinions vary depending on personality, job role, and life stage. But understanding both sides can help you better understand Chinese workplace conversations.
More from AllSet Learning
Today’s dialogue comes from Lesson 1 of Basic Office Topics (Intermediate). All the content focuses on the practical Chinese you actually need in a professional workplace setting (think meetings, emails, deadlines, colleagues, and office small talk) and how it naturally comes up in day-to-day office life. The course contains 10 one-on-one lessons with a professional native Chinese teacher and prepares intermediate learners for a wide range of real workplace situations in Chinese. Want to keep going?
