Cultural tips

Etiquette and Customs 2: Answering Phone
In China people often say "喂！你好" (wèi nǐ hǎo, hello) when answering a phone. In the workplace, workers are often required to say the name of their company and identify themselves. "这里是×××" (zhè lǐ shì, this is...). In a home setting, a family member is supposed to say "请问您找哪位?"(qǐng wèn nín zhǎo nǎ wèi; Hello, may I ask who are you are calling for?) when answering the phone. If the person answering phone is the person sought by the caller, the person answering the phone can say "我就是。" (wǒ jiù shì, I'm the one you are calling). If not, the person answering the phone can say "请稍等" (qǐng shāo děng, please wait a moment.). If the sought after person is not home or unavailable, the person who answers the phone can ask if they can be of assistance. For example, "王先生不在，我能帮您什么忙吗? "(wáng xiān sheng bú zài, wǒ néng bāng nín shén me máng ma; Mr. Wang is not here. What can I do for you?). If the caller has the wrong number, the person who answers the phone can say "对不起，你打错了。"(duì bù qǐ nǐ dǎ cuò le; Sorry, you've dialed a wrong number.)

Before finishing a telephone conversation be sure to ask "请问您还有什么事情吗?"(qǐng wèn nín hái yǒu shén me shì qíng ma; Is there something else?) Always wait for the other person to hang up the phone first. Generally speaking, young people should hang up after older people. It is rude to slam a phone.