This page is being written with importers in mind. We aim to provide some ideas, support and communication ideas for anyone who needs to speak with a Chinese company over the phone regarding a bulk order of plastics. Whether you speak Chinese or not you will find this page useful. We provide some useful Chinese vocabulary and phrases that will help your telephone conversation with the Chinese supplier run smoothly.
The first piece of vocabulary you may need to know is 塑料, which is plastics in Chinese. So what plastic products can we import from China?
Buying cutlery from China
Look around your home and your workplace the likelihood is that most of the plastic products you see will have been made in China. In order to express that something is made of plastic we say (sùliào zhìzuò de).
For a start in your kitchen you will find any tableware and cutlery will likely be made in China. In chinese cutlery is called 餐具 （cānjù), or 刀具 (dāojù). To tell the supplier over the phone that you are interested in purchasing cutlery you might say: 我想买塑料制作的餐具 (wǒ xiǎng mǎi sùliào zhìzuò de cānjù), or 我想买塑料制作的刀具 (wǒ xiǎng mǎi sùliào zhìzuò de dāojù). To be more specific about your cutlet requirements you can use the following vocabulary:
- knives and forks = 刀和叉 (dāo hé chā)
- bowl and chopsticks 碗筷 （wǎn kuài)
- Spoons = 勺子 (sháozi)
Or maybe you are looking to purchase sporks for a fast foor restaurant or dessert company. The word for spork in Chinese is 叉勺 （chāsháo), a combination of the characters fork and spoon.
Purchasing plastic bags from China
Another popular plastic product to import from China is plastic bags. These come in all shapes and sizes, colours, and strengths. You might also want to specify over the phone with the supplier whether you require a see through or opaque product. For example if you are looking to purchase plastic wallets for textbooks you may want a transparent product to the student can see which book they are carrying.