Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 最高執行官 / 最高执行官 | zuìgāo zhíxíngguān |
| 首席執行官 / 首席执行官 | shǒuxí zhíxíngguān |
| 執行總裁 / 执行总裁 | zhíxíng zǒngcái |
| 總裁 / 总裁 | zǒngcái |
In modern Chinese business environments, especially in multinational corporations or tech industries, the English acronym 'CEO' is frequently used directly in speech and writing instead of the Chinese translations.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 最高執行官 is composed of 最高 (highest/supreme) and 執行官 (executive officer). The term 首席執行官 is composed of 首席 (chief/first) and 執行官 (executive officer). The term 執行總裁 combines 執行 (executive) and 總裁 (president).
Which one should you use?
While 首席執行官 is a literal translation of 'Chief Executive Officer', 總裁 is a more common, concise title used in business contexts to refer to a high-level executive or president. 執行總裁 is often used to denote a high-ranking officer with specific operational authority.
How do you pronounce it?
zuìgāo zhíxíngguān
Did you know?
- The character 裁 in 總裁 means 'to cut' or 'to decide', implying that the executive's primary role is to make the final, decisive cut on a matter.
- In many mainland Chinese tech companies, employees often skip the formal titles and simply call their CEO 'Lǎobǎn', which literally means 'Boss'.
- If you use the term 總裁 (zǒngcái) in a television drama, you are more likely to be describing a powerful, wealthy protagonist than a standard corporate officer.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ceo” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
