Chen Hao tells his manager he is resigning. Eight months of contract remain, and a project in progress.
Chen Hao
张经理，有件事我想当面跟您说。
Zhāng jīnglǐ, yǒu jiàn shì wǒ xiǎng dāngmiàn gēn nín shuō.
Mr Zhang, there is something I would like to say to you face to face.
Manager Zhang
你说吧。是不是想走？
Nǐ shuō ba. Shì bùshì xiǎng zǒu ?
Go ahead. You want to leave, is that it?
Chen Hao
是。我想了很久了，不是一时冲动。
Shì. Wǒ xiǎng le hěn jiǔ le, bùshì yīshí chōngdòng.
It is. I have thought about it for a long time, it is not an impulse.
Manager Zhang
合同还有八个月才到期。提前解约的条件，你清楚吗？
Hétong hái yǒu bā gè yuè cái dàoqī. Tíqián jiěyuē de tiáojiàn, nǐ qīngchu ma ?
The contract has eight months to run. Do you know the terms for early termination?
Chen Hao
看过了。提前三十天书面通知，工资结到最后一天。
Kàn guò le. Tíqián sānshí tiān shūmiàn tōngzhī, gōngzī jié dào zuìhòu yī tiān.
I have read them. Thirty days' written notice, salary settled to the last day.
Manager Zhang
那你手上的项目呢？总不能说走就走。
Nà nǐ shǒu shàng de xiàngmù ne ? Zǒng bùnéng shuō zǒu jiù zǒu.
And the project you have in hand? You cannot just walk out overnight.
Chen Hao
我会把工作交接完。恐怕还需要两三周。
Wǒ huì bǎ gōngzuò jiāojiē wán. Kǒngpà hái xūyào liǎng sān zhōu.
I will see the handover through. I am afraid it will need another two or three weeks.
Xiaoyu
经理，他的文档一直写得很清楚，交接不难。
Jīnglǐ, tā de wéndàng yīzhí xiě de hěn qīngchu, jiāojiē bù nán.
Sir, his documentation has always been very clear, the handover will not be difficult.
Manager Zhang
我不是在刁难。既然你决定了，我只问一句：是钱的问题吗？
Wǒ bùshì zài diāonàn. Jìrán nǐ juédìng le, wǒ zhī wèn yī jù : shì qián de wèntí ma ?
I am not making things awkward. Since you have decided, I will ask one question only: is it about money?
Chen Hao
不全是。涨工资当然好，可是这两年我觉得自己停在原地。
Bù quán shì. Zhǎng gōngzī dāngrán hǎo, kěshì zhè liǎng nián wǒ juéde zìjǐ tíng zài yuándì.
Not entirely. A rise would be welcome, but these last two years I feel I have been standing still.
Manager Zhang
这句话我听懂了。那我不留你。
Zhè jù huà wǒ tīng dǒng le. Nà wǒ bù liú nǐ.
That sentence I do understand. Then I will not hold you back.
Chen Hao
谢谢您。无论以后在哪儿，这三年我都记着。
Xièxie nín. Wúlùn yǐhòu zài nǎr, zhè sān nián wǒ dōu jì zhe.
Thank you. Wherever I am afterwards, I will remember these three years.
Manager Zhang
记得把离职证明办了，下一家会要。
Jìde bǎ lízhí zhèngmíng bàn le, xià yī jiā huì yào.
Remember to get your leaving certificate issued, your next employer will want it.
Xiaoyu
我陪你去人事。
Wǒ péi nǐ qù rénshì.
I will come with you to personnel.
You call your superior 张经理, never 张先生 nor his given name alone. The surname comes before the office, and the whole serves both as a form of address and as a designation. Xiaoyu, speaking afterwards, says simply 经理: once the person is identified, the name drops and the office is enough.
总不能说走就走 translates as "you cannot just walk out like that". 总不能 introduces what would be unreasonable, leaving the other person to agree of their own accord. It is gentler than a 不可以, which forbids, and firmer than a question: the phrase assumes the listener already thinks the same.
To stay on the spot, to stop making progress. The image is of walking, and Chinese uses it of a career as of a course of study. It is common enough not to sound like a fine phrase, which is exactly what is wanted in a resignation: you want to be understood, not admired.
