How to Say “Networking event” in Chinese
Work and study · HSK 4
"Networking event" in Chinese is 社交活动 (Shèjiāo huódòng). Chinese doesn't have a clean one-word equivalent for 'networking'the concept wraps into 人脉 (rénmài, network of connections) and 关系 (guānxi). 社交活动 is the neutral, translation-style term; 行业交流会 (industry exchange meeting) is what actual business invitations use.
Primary translation
社交活动
Shèjiāo huódòng
Traditional: 社交活動
Variants by register
Formal
行业交流会
Hángyè jiāoliú huì
Casual
人脉局
Rénmài jú
When to use it
Chinese doesn't have a clean one-word equivalent for 'networking'the concept wraps into 人脉 (rénmài, network of connections) and 关系 (guānxi). 社交活动 is the neutral, translation-style term; 行业交流会 (industry exchange meeting) is what actual business invitations use. 人脉局 is Gen Z office slang局 (jú) borrowed from 饭局 (dinner gathering) to mean 'a gathering with purpose.' Westerners often misread Chinese networking as transactional; it's actually relationship-first. Exchanging a 微信 (WeChat) QR code is the modern equivalent of a business card and is practically mandatory.
Example sentences
今晚有一个行业交流会，你去吗？
Jīnwǎn yǒu yí ge hángyè jiāoliú huì, nǐ qù ma?
There's an industry networking event tonight, are you going?
公司经常办社交活动，扩展人脉。
Gōngsī jīngcháng bàn shèjiāo huódòng, kuòzhǎn rénmài.
The company often holds networking events to expand connections.
这种人脉局多参加几次就认识人了。
Zhè zhǒng rénmài jú duō cānjiā jǐ cì jiù rènshi rén le.
Go to a few of these networking things and you'll meet people.