Business Etiquette Issue 89: RSVP Reply Received

Ann. Chen is a young person working at ABC American Company in Beijing. Today, he received an invitation. But he didn't understand the meaning of the letters RSVP on the invitation. So he asked Mary, a Chinese American in the company.

(Office ambience)

Chen: Mary, the American company Samsung invited me to attend a dinner at Jixiang Restaurant on December 1st. But what do the letters RSVP on the invitation mean?

M: Oh, RSVP means Please reply. That means "please reply". RSVP comes from French, but now Americans generally use RSVP on invitations, that is, asking the invited person to tell the host whether you can go after receiving the invitation.

Chen: It turns out that RSVP is to answer whether you can go. Hey, treat me to dinner! Of course I can go. However, December 1st is still two weeks away. I'll call them again next week.

M: Hey, no, it would be rude to wait until the last day to reply or not to reply at all. Once you decide, call and answer. Reply immediately.

Chen: If I can’t go, I don’t have to reply, right?

M: No, you have to. RSVP means that regardless of whether you can attend or not, the person who received the invitation should RSVP. Only in this way can the master know how many people there are!

Chen: OK, I'll reply immediately. Thank you Mary, I learned another word RSVP...RSVP

Chen: Mary, I don’t want to go to Jixiang Restaurant for dinner tomorrow!

M: What’s wrong? Didn't you already call and tell them you were going?

Chen: Yes, but last week I received another invitation, inviting me to a five-star hotel for dinner. The two dinners are on the same day, so of course I have to go to Wu’s Grand Hotel.

M: No, you can't do that. You can't change your mind just because you have a better invitation. This is very rude.

Chen: What should I do if I have something urgent? If a natural or man-made disaster occurs, do I have to go?

M: If it’s really urgent, you have to call as early as possible to explain that you can’t go and express your apology.

Chen: Well, I’ll tell them that my mother-in-law is coming. Isn’t that enough?

M: Hey, why are you lying to me? If someone finds out, not only will you become a joke among your peers, but I’m afraid no one will ask you back in the future.

Chen: Ouch, it’s so troublesome to eat.

M: It’s actually very simple: When you see RSVP, respond immediately, say what you plan to do and do what you say. In an emergency, call immediately and apologize.

Chen: Hey, your summary is very simple. When you see the RSVP, reply immediately and tell the person whether you are going or not. If you say you are going, you have to go. If you say you won’t go, you won’t go. In case of emergency, call immediately to explain the situation and apologize.

M: That's right.