teleCommUNiCatioNS aNd e-CommUNiCatioNS 26.5
Increasingly, in the cities of China, the phrase used to answer a phone call is:喂？你好。
Wéi? Nǐ hǎo.
Hello. How are you?To ask to speak to someone say:
(张老师)在吗？
(張老師)在嗎？
(Zhāng lǎoshī) zài ma?
Is (Professor Zhang) in?or
我找(张老师)。她在吗？
我找(張老師)。她在嗎？
Wǒ zhǎo (Zhāng lǎoshī). Tā zài ma?
I’m looking for (Professor Zhang). Is she in?If the party in question is not in, say:
(她)不在。
(Tā) bù zài.
(She) is not in.If you wish to leave a message say:
我要留言。
Wǒ yào liú yán.
I’d like to leave a message.To arrange to get together with someone by phone say:
我们通电话。
我們通電話。
Wǒmen tōng diànhuà.
Let’s be in touch by phone.To describe problems reaching someone by phone say:
(我)打不通。
(Wǒ) dǎbutōng.
(I am) unable to get through.现在占线。
現在占線。
Xiànzài zhàn xiàn.
The line is busy.26.5 Writing and reciting phone numbers and fax numbers
Phone and fax numbers are recited as a list of single digits. In mainland China, when reciting
numbers, the number 1 (一) is pronounced yāo. In Taiwan it is pronounced yī. Phone and fax
numbers are typically written with Arabic numerals and not with Chinese characters.