Presentation Slides in Chinese: Key Terms and Phrases

In Mandarin, a slide is 幻灯片 (huàndēngpiàn), a slide deck is 演示文稿 (yǎnshì wéngǎo), and in everyday office talk people simply say PPT. To present in Mandarin, you need those three words plus a handful of phrases for opening, pointing to a slide and closing. This guide gives you the vocabulary, the sentence patterns and a practice routine, written for professionals working in Singapore.

TL;DR

• Slide: 幻灯片 (huàndēngpiàn). Slide deck or presentation file: 演示文稿 (yǎnshì wéngǎo). PowerPoint in casual speech: PPT, said with English letters.
• Singapore uses simplified characters and pinyin, so the written terms match mainland China. Spoken habits differ slightly, which we cover below.
• A reliable structure: greeting, topic, main points, examples, summary, closing. Memorize one sentence for each step.
• To point at a slide, say 请看这张幻灯片 (qǐng kàn zhè zhāng huàndēngpiàn), “please look at this slide.”
• Practice aloud with a coach or colleagues. Reading slides silently does not build presenting fluency.

Table of Contents

• The core vocabulary: slide, deck, PowerPoint and PPT
• Which terms sound natural in Singapore
• How to build a presentation in Mandarin
• Writing slides that work in Chinese
• How to say “I liked that slide”
• Practicing out loud with colleagues
• Our perspective on presenting in Mandarin
• Learn to present in Mandarin with Linda Mandarin
• Choosing the right format for your goal
• FAQ
• Sources

The core vocabulary: slide, deck, PowerPoint and PPT

English uses “slide,” “deck,” “presentation” and “PowerPoint” almost interchangeably. Mandarin separates them a little more, and which word you pick depends on whether you are talking about one page, the whole file or the act of speaking.

The Cambridge Dictionary renders PowerPoint in Simplified Chinese as （电脑）演示文稿软件, a descriptive phrase for presentation software. You will see this kind of wording in manuals and menus. In a meeting, nobody says it.

Why everyone says PPT

In Chinese-speaking workplaces, PPT (pronounced “pee-pee-tee”) covers the software, the file and the slides in it. WPS, the office software company, explains that PPT is short for PowerPoint and refers to a presentation file, and that 做个PPT means preparing a set of slides with titles, key points, images and charts.

So these are all normal sentences:

• 我在做PPT。(Wǒ zài zuò PPT.) “I’m working on the slides.”
• 你把PPT发给我。(Nǐ bǎ PPT fā gěi wǒ.) “Send me the deck.”
• 这个PPT很清楚。(Zhège PPT hěn qīngchu.) “This deck is very clear.”

The word carries weight too. A Huxiu feature on corporate culture describes how, at large Chinese tech firms, making a PPT is almost a ritual, and how some managers expect a deck before they will listen to a report. If you work with Chinese-speaking colleagues or clients, expect slides to be taken seriously.

One caution for chat apps: PPT can also be online slang for 怕怕他 (pà pà tā), a playful way of saying someone is scary. That homophone usage shows up in casual comments, while in meetings and emails PPT means PowerPoint. Context makes it obvious.

Which terms sound natural in Singapore

Singapore readers have an advantage: the written system is the same one used in mainland China. A linguistic study of Singapore Mandarin notes that simplified characters are used in almost all contexts and that Hanyu Pinyin is the system adopted in school textbooks. Traditional characters, it adds, appear mainly on some shop and company name plates.

That means the slide vocabulary above works on your Singapore slides without change. Vocabulary is also mostly shared. According to the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre’s Culturepaedia, Singapore Mandarin is largely similar to standard Mandarin, apart from a set of local terms: 1,648 of the 88,800 entries in the 2016 edition of a major Mandarin dictionary are unique to Singapore.

In practice, here is what we see Singapore learners do:

• Write 幻灯片 or 演示文稿 on formal documents, such as a training agenda or a proposal.
• Say PPT in the meeting room, often mixed with English: “Let me share my PPT.”
• Switch between Mandarin and English for technical terms such as KPI, ROI or dashboard. Colleagues will understand, but build the Mandarin for the terms you use weekly.

If you want a fuller picture of how local usage differs from the mainland, our article on Singaporean Mandarin covers it, and three grammar shifts between Singapore and mainland Mandarin is useful before a client presentation.

How to build a presentation in Mandarin

A Mandarin presentation follows the same logic as an English one: tell people who you are, what you will cover, then walk through the points. The only extra work is having the right sentence ready for each step.

Step 1: Greet and name the topic

A standard opening is 大家好，今天我要讲的主题是… (Dàjiā hǎo, jīntiān wǒ yào jiǎng de zhǔtí shì…), meaning “Hello everyone, the topic I will talk about today is…”. A Kyushu University language resource lists similar patterns, such as 今天要谈的主题是… (jīntiān yào tán de zhǔtí shì…), which suits a more conversational talk.

Add your name and role in one sentence:

• 我是王明，市场部的经理。(Wǒ shì Wáng Míng, shìchǎng bù de jīnglǐ.) “I’m Wang Ming, manager in the marketing department.”

Step 2: Give the outline

Tell the audience how many points you will make. Numbers keep both you and the listener oriented.

• 我今天分三个部分来讲。(Wǒ jīntiān fēn sān gè bùfen lái jiǎng.) “I’ll cover three parts today.”
• 第一，…… 第二，…… 第三，……(Dì yī… dì èr… dì sān…) “First… second… third…”

Step 3: Point to the slide

This is the phrase most learners search for. Use these:

• 请看这张幻灯片。(Qǐng kàn zhè zhāng huàndēngpiàn.) “Please look at this slide.”
• 请看下一页。(Qǐng kàn xià yí yè.) “Please look at the next page.”
• 这张图表显示……(Zhè zhāng túbiǎo xiǎnshì…) “This chart shows…”
• 我们来看一下数据。(Wǒmen lái kàn yíxià shùjù.) “Let’s look at the data.”

Note the measure word 张 (zhāng) for flat things such as slides, charts and photos. Using 个 instead is understood, but 张 sounds more polished.

Step 4: Give an example and sum up

• 举个例子。(Jǔ gè lìzi.) “For example.”
• 总结一下。(Zǒngjié yíxià.) “To sum up.”
• 最重要的一点是……(Zuì zhòngyào de yì diǎn shì…) “The most important point is…”

Step 5: Close and invite questions

• 我的演讲到此结束，谢谢大家。(Wǒ de yǎnjiǎng dào cǐ jiéshù, xièxie dàjiā.) “That concludes my presentation, thank you all.”
• 大家有什么问题吗？(Dàjiā yǒu shénme wèntí ma?) “Does anyone have questions?”

Writing slides that work in Chinese

Good slides in Mandarin have fewer words than you expect. Characters are dense, so a line of eight to twelve characters often says what a full English line does. Three habits help:

1. Keep each slide to one message. Put the conclusion in the title, such as 第三季度销售增长百分之十 (“Q3 sales grew ten percent”), instead of a vague label.
2. Use short phrases, not full sentences. Chinese bullet points are usually noun or verb phrases.
3. Say more than you show. Your spoken Mandarin carries the explanation, and the slide anchors it.

A common planning rhythm in some large companies, according to the Huxiu piece mentioned above, is one day for content and four for layout. You do not need that much time, but the lesson holds: spend as long on clarity as on looks.

Setting PowerPoint to Chinese

If your company laptop or a client’s computer runs the Chinese interface, you will see different menu names. Microsoft’s Chinese-language guide to creating a presentation in PowerPoint walks through the basics: choose 新建 (new), pick 空白演示文稿 (blank presentation) or a template, add slides with 开始 > 新建幻灯片, type in a text box and add pictures and shapes from 插入 (insert).

Being able to read those menu labels is handy when you share your screen on a call with colleagues in China, or when you help someone else fix a layout in a hurry.

How to say “I liked that slide”

This is a question people ask when they want to give feedback in a meeting. The simplest natural options:

• 这张幻灯片很好。(Zhè zhāng huàndēngpiàn hěn hǎo.) “This slide is good.”
• 这一页做得很清楚。(Zhè yí yè zuò de hěn qīngchu.) “This page is very clear.”
• 我很喜欢这张图。(Wǒ hěn xǐhuan zhè zhāng tú.) “I really like this chart.”

In a friendly team, 太棒了 (tài bàng le), “fantastic,” works well. With senior clients or in formal settings, a more measured choice such as 非常好 or 很出色 sounds more suitable. When unsure, 不错 (búcuò, “not bad,” meaning quite good) is a safe middle ground.

Practicing out loud with colleagues

Most people can read their Mandarin script. The hard part is delivering it with the right pace while clicking through slides and watching the room. Try this routine over two weeks:

1. Day 1 to 3: Write your script in characters and pinyin. Read each slide’s script aloud three times.
2. Day 4 to 7: Present without the script, using only the slides as prompts. Record yourself on your phone.
3. Week 2: Present to a colleague or tutor, and ask them to interrupt with two questions in Mandarin. Handling questions is the part you cannot rehearse alone.

If your team wants a lively setting to practice speaking in front of each other, a team communication workshop in Singapore can build the confidence that makes group presentations easier. Pair it with language practice and you get both skills at once.

For more on phrasing, our guides on Mandarin for presentations and tips to speak better Chinese give additional sentence patterns you can reuse.

Our perspective on presenting in Mandarin

Many of our students arrive able to order lunch in Mandarin but nervous about a five-minute update to a Chinese-speaking client. The gap is not vocabulary. It is having a structure and the nerve to use it.

At Linda Mandarin, we have taught Mandarin in Singapore since 2003, and our approach is built around real-life communication. For presentations, that means we do not start with a long word list. We start with the situation: who is in the room, what do they need to decide, and which five sentences will carry you through.

We prefer small groups or private lessons for this skill, because presenting needs feedback on tone, pacing and pronunciation that a video alone cannot give. Our native Mandarin instructors, fluent in English, can explain why a phrase sounds natural, and our Business Mandarin classes are designed to give you that kind of speaking practice with workplace material.

If you take away one habit, make it this: say your slide titles out loud every day. Within a few weeks, 请看这张幻灯片 stops being a phrase you recall and becomes something you simply say.

Paul

Learn to present in Mandarin with Linda Mandarin

If you want guided practice instead of memorizing phrases alone, we teach business-focused Mandarin at our centre at 10 Anson Road, Level 22, International Plaza, Singapore 079903, right above Tanjong Pagar MRT, and online by Zoom.

Options that suit presentation practice include:

• Business Chinese private class: $1,980 one-off, for tailored practice on your own slides and topics.
• Business Mandarin group class: $500 to $600 one-off per student, if you prefer learning alongside other professionals.
• Online Chinese Course (Business Mandarin): $1,880 one-off per student, for Zoom learning from anywhere.
• Conversational Mandarin: private at $1,730 one-off, or group at $600 one-off per student, if you want to build everyday speaking first.

For teams, our corporate Chinese Mandarin training can be shaped around your own meetings and materials. Contact us for details, as it has no published price. You can also read about learning Mandarin for effective business communication before deciding which format fits.

Choosing the right format for your goal

Whichever you choose, bring a real slide deck to class as soon as you can. Practicing on material you will actually use makes the vocabulary stick.

FAQ

What is the Chinese word for presentation slides?

The usual word is 幻灯片 (huàndēngpiàn). For the whole file, use 演示文稿 (yǎnshì wéngǎo). In daily conversation, most people say PPT for both the file and the slides.

How do you say PowerPoint in Chinese?

People say PowerPoint or PPT even in Mandarin sentences, for example 做个PPT (“make a deck”). Software and dictionaries use the descriptive term 演示文稿软件 (presentation software). The short form is what you will hear in offices.

How do I start a presentation in Mandarin?

Greet the audience, introduce yourself and name the topic: 大家好，我是……，今天我要讲的主题是……. Then give a short outline, such as 我今天分三个部分来讲, so listeners know the structure.

Do Singaporeans use simplified or traditional characters on slides?

Simplified characters, with pinyin used in teaching. Traditional characters appear mainly on some business and shop signs. For your slides, simplified is the safe choice in Singapore.

Sources

• PowerPoint in Simplified Chinese, Cambridge Dictionary
• ppt是什么意思？一篇搞懂演示文稿, WPS
• PPT招谁惹谁了？, Huxiu
• ppt什么网络用语, Wordln
• Singapore Mandarin: Its Positioning, Internal Structure, Shang 2012
• Singapore Mandarin vocabulary, Culturepaedia
• プレゼンテーションを始める, Kyushu University
• 在 PowerPoint 中创建演示文稿, Microsoft Support
• tài bàng le 太棒了, Contextual Chinese

Recommended

• Mandarin for Presentations: Phrases and Tips That Work
• Ultimate Vocabulary List for Business Chinese
• Key Terminology in Mandarin Study: Your 2026 Guide
• Must-Know Mandarin Phrases for Workplaces