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Sports Jobs in Chinese
There are far more employment opportunities in sports today than in years past. We list some of the most popular sports jobs in Chinese here.
English | Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
American football player | 橄榄球运动员 | gǎnlǎnqiú yùndòngyuán |
athlete | 运动员 | yùndòngyuán |
baseball player | 棒球运动员 | bàngqiú yùndòngyuán |
basketball player | 篮球运动员 | lánqiú yùndòngyuán |
boxer | 拳击手 | quánjīshǒu |
coach | 教练 | jiàoliàn |
commentator | 解说员 | jiěshuōyuán |
fitness coach | 健身教练 | jiànshēn jiàoliàn |
footballer | ||
ice hockey player | 冰球运动员 | bīngqiú yùndòngyuán |
lifeguard | 救生员 | jiùshēngyuán |
personal trainer | 私人教练 | sīrén jiàoliàn |
PE teacher | 体育老师 | tǐyù lǎoshī |
referee | 裁判 | cáipàn |
Services & Other Jobs in Chinese
The service sector, where the vast majority of economic activities occur, is home to occupations that provide services or intangible goods to businesses and consumers. On this list, you’ll find the Chinese words for some of the most common jobs in the service sector. We also included a few other Chinese professions not elsewhere classified.
English | Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
cleaner | 保洁 | bǎojié |
doorman | 门卫 | ménwèi |
driver | 司机 | sījī |
fisherman | 渔夫 | yúfū |
flight attendant | 空中乘务员 | kōngzhōng chéngwùyuán |
food delivery person | 外卖员 | wàimàiyuán |
gardener | 花匠 | huājiàng |
janitor | 管理员 | guǎnlǐyuán |
maid | 阿姨 | āyí |
mail deliver person | 快递员 | kuàidìyuán |
monk | 和尚 | héshàng |
nanny | 保姆 | bǎomǔ |
nun | 修女 | xiūnǚ |
nun (Buddhist nun) | 尼姑 | nígū |
pilot | 飞行员 | fēixíngyuán |
postman | 邮递员 | yóudìyuán |
priest | 牧师 | mùshī |
repairman | 修理工 | xiūlǐgōng |
sailor | 船员 | chuányuán |
scalper | 黄牛 | huángniú |
security guard | 保安 | bǎo’ān |
street vendor | 摊贩 | tānfàn |
tailor | 裁缝 | cáiféng |
taikonaut (Chinese astronaut) | 宇航员 | yǔhángyuán |
Unconventional Jobs in Chinese
There are millions of Chinese engineers, doctors, lawyers, police officers, and other recognizable professions well-known to the western world, but there are also a huge number of unconventional jobs in China.
So, to complete our list of Chinese professions, we’ll list off 10 unconventionally cool jobs that are popular among millennials in China.
English | Chinese | Pinyin Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
blogger | 博主 | bózhǔ |
designated driver | 代驾 | dàijià |
experience officer | 体验官 | tǐyànguān |
influencer | 网红 | wǎnghóng |
gamer | 游戏玩家 | yóuxì wánjiā |
surrogate shopper | 代购 | dàigòu |
training partner | 陪练 | péiliàn |
vlogger | 视频博主 | shìpín bózhǔ |
voice over actor | 声优 | shēngyōu |
YouTuber | 油管博主 | yóuguǎn bózhǔ |
Like anywhere in the world, vlogging and live streaming have become a huge deal in China. Even it’s hard to be a professional 油管博主 (yóuguǎn bózhǔ) – YouTuber (literally, “YouTube blogger”) if you reside in China where access to YouTube is banned, there are many Chinese social media channels you can start to become a successful 视频博主 (shìpín bózhǔ) – vlogger (“video blogger”) – or 网红主播 (wǎnghóng zhǔbō) – “anchor influencer”, for instance, Weibo, WeChat, Bilibili, TikTok, and Xiaohongshu, to name just a few.
According to the survey conducted by Wutongguo, China’s leading campus recruitment website, over 35% of the Chinese college graduates born after 1995 showed interest in becoming a full-time or part-time 主播 (zhǔbō) – “anchor”, or 网红 (wǎnghóng) – “influencer” on social media platforms.
Some other cool jobs favored by young people in China include 体验官 (tǐyànguān) – “experience officers” such as hotel test sleepers, 代购 (dàigòu) – “surrogate shoppers” (professional shoppers who buy sought-after products overseas on behalf of domestic customers), 职业游戏玩家 (zhíyè yóuxì wánjiā) – “pro gamers” and their “training partners” – 陪练 (péiliàn). 声优 (shēngyōu) – “voice over acting”, an industry/profession that originated from Japan is also booming in China with over 16.5% of the college graduates considering it as their career according to the survey.
More Job-related Vocabulary in Chinese
Wow, that’s a lot of words, isn’t it?
I would say the above lists have included the most common occupations one might have nowadays. But if you’re in the mood for more, here’s an additional list of useful words you can use for discussing your job in Chinese (we’ll get to the details in the next section).
Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
公司 | gōngsī | company |
办公室 | bàngōngshì | office |
老板 | lǎobǎn | boss |
员工 | yuángōng | employee |
同事 | tóngshì | colleague |
客户 | Kè hù | client |
工资 | gōngzī | salary |
奖金 | jiǎngjīn | bonus |
福利 | fúlì | benefits |
工作时间 | gōngzuò shíjiān | work hours |
工作环境 | gōngzuò huánjìng | work environment |
事业 | shìyè | career |
招聘 | zhāopìn | recruitment |
职位 | zhíwèi | position |
求职 | qiúzhí | job application |
简历 | jiǎnlì | resume |
面试 | miànshì | interview |
合同 | hétóng | contract |
全职 | quánzhí | full-time |
兼职 | jiānzhí | part-time |
实习 | shíxí | internship/to intern |
培训 | péixùn | training |
会议 | huìyì | meeting |
任务 | rènwù | task |
出差 | chūchāi | business trip |
休假 | xiūjià | vacation/on vacation |
申请 | shēnqǐng | to apply |
雇用 | gùyòng | to hire |
解雇 | jiěgù | to fire |
辞职 | cízhí | to quit/resign |
退休 | tuìxiū | to retire |
待业 | dàiyè | unemployed |
Abbreviations for Chinese Job Titles
Chinese people generally don’t refer to each other by their first name unless they’re close. For someone you don’t know well or in a hierarchically higher position or social status, you would need to address them by their family name + job title.
For example,
王老师 (Wáng lǎoshī) – Teacher Wang
马主任 (Mǎ zhǔrèn) – Director Ma
陈警官 (Chén jǐngguān) – Police officer Chen
Some job titles have abbreviated forms in Chinese when they are used together with a family name. Here are a few:
工 (gōng) → 工程师 (gōngchéngshī) – engineer
总 (zǒng) → 总经理 (zǒng jīnglǐ)/总裁 (zǒngcái) – general manager/CEO
导 (dǎo) → 导演 (dǎoyǎn) – film director
指 (zhǐ) → 指导 (zhǐdǎo) – coach, instructor
队 (duì) → 队长 (duìzhǎng) – captain
Note that these abbreviations are only valid when you say a person’s family name first. For instance, if your Chinese friend Jack Chen is an engineer, people would likely call him 陈工 (Chén gōng) – “Engineer Chen” out of respect, but his profession is 工程师 (gōngchéngshī), not 工 (gōng) per se.
How to Memorize Chinese Jobs & Professions Vocabulary
Since there is no shared base of vocabulary, it’s a non-trivial amount of work for English speakers to learn all job titles and professions in Chinese.
That said, there are some simple tricks you can learn to help you remember the words better.
Word formation in Chinese is similar to the game of Lego with characters being the Lego blocks that add up to form bigger structures – the words. If you haven’t noticed yet, many Chinese occupational words are formed by using basic words and adding suffix characters to them.
Let’s take the example of the character 家 (jiā) to understand the formation of professions in Chinese.
In the context of professions, 家 (jiā) stands for 行家 (hángjiā), which means “expert” in Chinese. By adding the suffix character 家 (jiā) to a sphere of work, a “…家 (… jiā)” became someone who is an expert in that field.
For example, some names of professions based on the character 家 (jiā) are
画家 huàjiā – painter (painting expert)
作家 zuòjiā – writer (writing expert)
科学家 kēxuéjiā – scientist (science expert)
数学家 shùxuéjiā – mathematician (math expert)
企业家 qǐyèjiā – entrepreneur (enterprise expert)
A very effective way to learn job titles and professions in Chinese is to learn multiple words together through the common suffix characters. With their help, you will be able to augment your job vocabulary quickly. Also, if you remember the meaning of each suffix character, whenever you find an occupational word based on it, you can use this to infer the meaning of the word.
Now, let’s put this method to use and learn some professions using this method. The given below highlights 5 common Chinese suffixes and the various occupation words based on them.
Suffix Character | Suffix Meaning | Words Based on the Suffix |
师 (shī) | master | 律师 lǜshī – lawyer (law master) 咖啡师 kāfēishī – barista (coffee master) 设计师 shèjìshī – designer (design master) |
员 (yuán) | staff | 服务员 fúwùyuán – waiter (service staff) 飞行员 fēixíngyuán – pilot (aviation staff) 船员 chuányuán – sailor (ship staff) |
工 (gōng) | worker | 木工 mùgōng – carpenter (wood worker) 电工 diàngōng – electrician (electricity worker) 修理工 xiūlǐgōng – repairman (repairing worker) |
主 (zhǔ) | owner | 企业主 qǐyèzhǔ – business owner ] 店主 diànzhǔ – shop owner 博主 bózhǔ – blogger (blog owner) |
官 (guān) | officer | 警官 jǐngguān – police officer 检察官 jiǎncháguān – prosecutor (prosecution officer) 首席执行官 shǒuxí zhíxíng guān – CEO |
Effectively, you can build groups based on suffix characters and use them to learn multiple occupation words in Chinese at the same time.
Talking About Jobs and Professions in Chinese
All right, now you’ve known how to say a range of professions in Chinese, from common job names to formal titles and abbreviations, it’s time to learn how to use them in real Chinese conversations.
For instance, you might want to tell what you do for a living when you first meet a Chinese friend or associate, especially if it’s a social encounter where you want to do some networking. Even if you don’t include it in your initial self-introduction, inquisitive Chinese people will probably ask you anyway.
In addition, you can talk about what you love about your job, your future aspirations or even describe your childhood dream job to impress your new Chinese friends.
Well, you don’t need to look far, we’ll cover all the language bases in this section.
How to Say What You Do in Chinese
There are many different ways to say what you do for a living in Chinese, but there are also a couple of expressions and constructions that tend to appear more often than others. Here, you have some of them.
我是一名… (Wǒ shì yì míng …) – I am a/an …
The first expression is the most straightforward way of saying what you do in Chinese for those who speak English as a first language: You can say 我是一名 (Wǒ shì yì míng), which means “I am one”, followed by your job title or profession. This is the equivalent to the English “I am a/an … (profession)”.
Format: 我是一名 (Wǒ shì yì míng) + profession
If you don’t know yet, you’ll need to add a measure word after a number to quantify any given noun in Chinese (一 [yī] – “one” is used to mean ”a/an” in front of professions). And the measure word for “profession” is 名 (míng).
For instance, you wouldn’t just say 一医生 (yì yīshēng) for “a doctor”, you would say 一名医生 (yì míng yīshēng), which translates to “a (measure word) doctor”.
Let’s take a look at these example sentences.
我是一名律师。 Wǒ shì yì míng lǜshī. I am a lawyer.
我是一名大学教授。 Wǒ shì yì míng dàxué jiàoshòu. I am a university professor.
我是一名全职妈妈。 Wǒ shì yì míng quánzhí māma. I am a full-time mother.
A quick grammar usage note: like some languages, you can drop “a” (一名 [yì míng]) before the job title in Chinese sometimes and just say 我是 (Wǒ shì) + profession (e.g. 我是医生 [Wǒ shì yīshēng]), however, this does not sound natural to Chinese people when you introduce your profession. It’s much better to add 一名 (yì míng) before the job title!
我在…工作 (Wǒ zài … gōngzuò) – I work in/at …
Alternatively, you can tell people about the company, institution or location where you’re currently employed by saying 我在…工作 (Wǒ zài … gōngzuò), which is the Chinese equivalent of “I work at/in …”.
Format: 我在 (Wǒ zài) + workplace + 工作 (gōngzuò)
Simply state the name of your workplace in the middle of this construction.
For example,
我在花旗银行工作。 Wǒ zài Huāqí yínháng gōngzuò. I work at Citibank.
我在华尔街工作。 Wǒ zài Huá ěr Jiē gōngzuò. I work on Wall Street.
我在一家医院工作。 Wǒ zài yì jiā yīyuàn gōngzuò. I work in a hospital.
我在…上班 (Wǒ zài … shàngbān) – I work in/at …
A more colloquial way of saying “I work in/at …” in Chinese would be 我在…上班 (Wǒ zài … shàngbān).
上班 (shàngbān) literally means “attend work shift”. In informal settings, people often use 上班 (shàngbān) to refer to their daily work routine.
Format: 我在 (Wǒ zài) + workplace + 上班 (shàngbān)
It has the exact same structure as 我在 (Wǒ zài) + workplace + 工作 (gōngzuò), and you can use the two expressions interchangeably most of the time.
我在花旗银行上班。 Wǒ zài Huāqí yínháng shàngbān. I work at Citibank.
我在华尔街上班。 Wǒ zài Huá ěr Jiē shàngbān. I work on Wall Street.
我在一家医院上班。 Wǒ zài yì jiā yīyuàn shàngbān. I work in a hospital.
我在…上学 (Wǒ zài … shàngxué) – I study in/at …
If you are still a student, you can tell your conversation partner where you study instead of where you work. Simply substitute 上学 (shàngxué) – “study” for 工作 (gōngzuò) or 上班 (shàngbān) – “work” in the above sentence patterns.
Format: 我在 (Wǒ zài) + place + 上学 (shàngxué)
Here’s how that would look in practice:
我在英国上学。 Wǒ zài Yīngguó shàngxué. I am studying in the UK.
我在纽约大学上学。 Wǒ zài Niǔyuē dàxué shàngxué. I am studying at New York University.
我在…读书 (Wǒ zài … dúshū) – I study in/at …
There is also an informal version of the word “study” in Chinese – 读书 (dúshū), literally “read books” (well, you have to read some books when you study, don’t you?) You can use it interchangeably with 上学 (shàngxué) in spoken Chinese.
Format: 我在 (Wǒ zài) + place + 读书 (dúshū)
For example,
我在英国读书。 Wǒ zài Yīngguó dúshū. I am studying in the UK.
我在纽约大学读书。 Wǒ zài Niǔyuē dàxué dúshū. I am studying at New York University.
我在…担任… (Wǒ zài … dānrèn …) – I work as … in/at …
Back to work, you might want to state your job title along with the name of the company or institution you work for as part of your Chinese self-introduction in a formal, business setting.
You can include them both in one Chinese sentence easily with the structure 我在…担任… (Wǒ zài … dānrèn …), which translates to “I work as … in/at …” (literally, “I in … take on the position of …”).
Format: 我在 (Wǒ zài) + workplace + 担任 (dānrèn) + job title
Let’s see some examples.
我在一家通讯社担任编辑。 Wǒ zài yì jiā tōngxùn shè dānrèn biānjí. I work as an editor in a news agency. Literally, “I in a news agency take on the position of an editor.”
我在谷歌担任软件开发师。 Wǒ zài Gǔgē dānrèn ruǎnjiàn kāifāshī. I work as a software developer at Google. Literally, “I in Google take on the position of a software developer.”
我在西门子担任部门经理。 Wǒ zài Xīménzǐ dānrèn bùmén jīnglǐ. I work as a department manager at Siemens. Literally, “I in Siemens take on the position of a department manager.”
我在…当… (Wǒ zài … dāng …) – I work as … in/at …
You may also replace 担任 (dānrèn) with 当 (dāng) and say 我在…当… (Wǒ zài … dāng …), which is a less formal way of expressing “I work as … in/at …” in Chinese.
The word 当 (dāng) translates to “work as” or “serve as”. The difference between 担任 (dānrèn) and 当 (dāng) is that 担任 (dānrèn) is a formal word that’s reserved for professions in which a high degree of knowledge or expertise is required (such as doctors, lawyers, or professors), whereas 当 (dāng) can be used for both high-skilled jobs and occupations that don’t require special training (such as waiters, shopkeepers, or baby-sitters).
Compare these examples,
√ 我在一家餐厅当经理。 Wǒ zài yì jiā cāntīng dāng jīnglǐ. I work as a manager in a restaurant. √ 我在一家餐厅担任经理。 Wǒ zài yì jiā cāntīng dānrèn jīnglǐ. I work as a manager in a restaurant. 担任 (dānrèn) makes the sentence more formal.
√ 我在一家餐厅当服务员。 Wǒ zài yì jiā cāntīng dāng fúwùyuán. I work as a waiter in a restaurant. × 我在一家餐厅担任服务员。 Wǒ zài yì jiā cāntīng dānrèn fúwùyuán. 担任 (dānrèn) is too big a word for waiters.
Another thing worth pointing out is that when you intend to use 担任 (dānrèn) and 当 (dāng) to state what job you do, always make sure to mention the name of the institution or place where you’re employed first.
For example, it would be wrong to say 我当英语老师 (Wǒ dāng Yīngyǔ lǎoshī) for expressing “I work as an English teacher”. Even though the sentence is grammatically correct with the standard subject-verb-object structure, it sounds unnatural to native speakers (they will never say it like this).
To make it sound right, include a workplace in the sentence. For instance, you can say 我在一所国际学校当英语老师 (Wǒ zài yì suǒ guójì xuéxiào dāng Yīngyǔ lǎoshī) – “I work as an English teacher in an international school” or something along that line. If you just want to say “I am an English teacher”, better rephrase it as 我是一名英语老师 (Wǒ shì yì míng Yīngyǔ lǎoshī), which is the most natural way of saying your profession in Chinese.
Lastly, to say you’re a freelancer or self-employed, say 我是自由职业 (Wǒ shì zìyóu zhíyè), literally, “I am (of) free profession.”
And if you’re currently unemployed, say 我没有工作 (Wǒ méiyǒu gōngzuò) – “I don’t have a job” or 我待业 (wǒ dàiyè) – literally, “I am waiting for a job”. Or you might be looking for a job at the moment, in this case, say 我正在找工作 (Wǒ zhèng zài zhǎo gōngzuò) – “I am in the process of finding a job”.
How to Ask What Someone Does in Chinese
Similar to telling people your profession, there are also multiples ways to ask someone else what they do for a living in Chinese. Here are the most commons ones.
1. 你是做什么的？
Pronunciation: Nǐ shì zuò shénme deLiterally, “Yo do what?”
Some of the first conversations you’ll have in Chinese will require you to answer the question 你是做什么的？ (Nǐ shì zuò shénme de), which roughly translates to “what is that you do?” or “You do what?”.
The question might sound a bit abrupt in your culture, but it’s extremely common in casual Chinese interactions. To answer the question, simply say 我是一名 (Wǒ shì yì míng) – “I am a/an”, and then your profession.
2. 你是做什么工作的？
Pronunciation: Nǐ shì zuò shénme gōngzuò de?Literally, “You do what job?”
Another popular way of asking what someone does in Chinese is 你是做什么工作的？ (Nǐ shì zuò shénme gōngzuò de). Having the word 工作 (gōngzuò) – “job” added to the question word 什么 (shénme – “what” makes the question more formal.
You may also say 您是做什么工作的？(Nín shì zuò shénme gōngzuò de) if you want to add a dash of respect to your conversational partner. 您 (nín) is the honorific form of 你 (nǐ), which is used to address someone who’s older than you or in a more senior position than you.
3. 您从事哪方面的工作？
Pronunciation: Nín cóngshì nǎ fāngmiàn de gōngzuò?Literally, “You are engaged in what area of work?”
If the encounter is strictly business, you might want to go formal all the way. 您从事哪方面的工作？ (Nín cóngshì nǎ fāngmiàn de gōngzuò?) is the most polite way to ask what someone does in Chinese. Trust me, your new Chinese associate will be impressed!
4. 你在哪里工作/上班？
Pronunciation: Nǐ zài nǎlǐ gōngzuò/shàngbān?Literally, “Where do you work?”
Another way to approach this subject is to ask 你在哪里工作？ (Nǐ zài nǎlǐ gōngzuò), or more colloquially 你在哪里上班？ (Nǐ zài nǎlǐ shàngbān), both of which mean “where do you work?”. People will respond with either the name of their workplace or profession.
How to Discuss Your Job in Chinese
Chinese people love talking about jobs and careers. You can easily keep the conversation going by tossing the following questions to your conversation partner.
你做了多久…？ Nǐ zuò le duō jiǔ …? How long have you worked as …? Literally, “You have worked (for) how long time (as) …?”
你的工作怎么样？ Nǐ de gōngzuò zěnmeyàng? How is your job going? Literally, “Your job, how is it?”
你的工作忙不忙？ Nǐ de gōngzuò máng bù máng? Does your work keep you busy? Literally, “Your work, busy or not busy?”
你的工作时间是几点到几点？ Nǐ de gōngzuò shíjiān shì jǐ diǎn dào jǐ diǎn? What are your work hours? Literally, “Your work time is what time to what time?”
你喜欢你的工作吗？ Nǐ xǐhuan nǐ de gōngzuò ma? Do you like your job? Literally, “You like your job ma?”
你最喜欢你工作的哪个方面？ Nǐ zuì xǐhuan nǐ gōngzuò de nǎ gè fāngmiàn? What do you like the most about your job? Literally, “You most like your job’s which aspect?”
你最不喜欢你工作的哪个方面？ Nǐ zuì bù xǐhuan nǐ gōngzuò de nǎ gè fāngmiàn? What do you like the least about your job? Literally, “You most not like your job’s which aspect?”
你今后想做什么？ Nǐ jīnhòu xiǎng zuò shénme? What would you like to be in the future? Literally, “You future want to do what?”
你的理想工作是什么？ Nǐ de lǐxiǎng gōngzuò shì shénme? What is your dream job? Literally, “Your ideal job is what?”
If you are on the receiving end of these questions, you can refer to the below example sentences to talk about your job in Chinese.
我做了三年 … Wǒ zuò le sān nián … I have worked as … for three years. Literally, “I have worked (for) three years (as) …”
我的工作还不错。 Wǒ de gōngzuò hái bùcuò. My job is not bad. Literally, “My job, still not bad.”
我的工作比较轻松。 Wǒ de gōngzuò bǐjiào qīngsōng. My job is quite easy. Literally, “My job, relatively easy.”
我的工作时间是早上九点到晚上六点。 Wǒ de gōngzuò shíjiān shì zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn dào wǎnshang liù diǎn. My work hours are from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Literally, “My work time is morning nine o’clock to evening six o’clock.”
我非常喜欢我的工作。 Wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan wǒ de gōngzuò. I like my job a lot. Literally, “I very much like my job.”
我讨厌我的工作。 Wǒ tǎoyàn wǒ de gōngzuò. I hate my job.
工资很高。 Gōngzī hěn gāo. Good Salary. Literally, “Salary, very high.”
员工福利很多。 Yuángōng fúlì hěn duō. Many employee benefits. Literally, “Employee benefits, many.”
工作环境很好。 Gōngzuò huánjìng hěn hǎo. Nice work environment. Literally, “Work environment, very good.”
工作时间很灵活。 Gōngzuò shíjiān hěn línghuó. Flexible work hours. Literally, “Work hours, very flexible.”
休假很多。 Xiūjià hěn duō. Many vacations. Literally, “Vacations, many.”
同事很好相处。 Tóngshì hěn hǎo xiāngchǔ. The colleagues are easy to get along with.
工资很低。 Gōngzī hěn dī. Low salary. Literally, “Salary, very low.”
没有员工福利。 Méiyǒu yuángōng fúlì. No employee benefits.
工作环境很差。 Gōngzuò huánjìng hěn chà. Lousy work environment. Literally, “Work environment, very lousy.”
工作时间太长。 Gōngzuò shíjiān tài cháng. Long work hours. Literally, “Work hours, too long.”
必须上夜班。 Bìxū shàng yè bān. Have to work the night shift.
休假很困难。 Xiūjià hěn kùnnán. Difficult to take a vacation. Literally, “Vacations, very difficult.”
老板/客户要求太多。 Lǎobǎn/Kèhù yāoqiú tài duō. The boss/clients demand too much.
我今后想做一名翻译。 Wǒ jīnhòu xiǎng zuò yì míng fānyì. I would like to be a translator in the future. Literally, “I (in the) future want to be a translator.”
我长大后想当科学家。 Wǒ zhǎng dà hòu xiǎng dāng kēxuéjiā. I would like to be a scientist when I grow up. Literally, “I after growing up want to work as a scientist.”
我毕业后想去科技公司工作。 Wǒ bìyè hòu xiǎng qù kējì gōngsī gōngzuò. I would like to work in a tech company after graduation. Literally, “I after graduation want to go to a tech company for work.”
我的理想工作是心理医生。 Wǒ de lǐxiǎng gōngzuò shì xīnlǐ yīshēng. My dream job is to be a psychiatrist. Literally, “My ideal job is psychiatrist.”
There you go! Once you have these patterns down, you can navigate the terrain of Chinese professions with ease! So tell me, what’s your job like? And what would you like to do in a perfect world?
Measure Words for Jobs
The measure word for “job” in Chinese is 份 (fèn). To quantify jobs, simply add 份 (fèn) in between the numbers and the word 工作 (gōngzuò). For instance,
这(一)份工作很简单。 Zhè (yí) fèn gōngzuò hěn jiǎndān. This job is easy.
我有两份工作。 Wǒ yǒu liǎng fèn gōngzuò. I have two jobs.
This is not to be confused with 名 (míng), the measure word for job titles for Chinese professions.
我是一名职员。 Wǒ shì yì míng zhíyuán. I am an employee.
这里有两名警察。 Zhèli yǒu liǎng míng jǐngchá. There are two policemen here.
Part Time
The word for “part-time job” in Chinese is 兼职 (jiānzhí). 兼 (jiān) means to do two or more jobs simultaneously, and 职 (jiānzhí) means profession. So the word translates to “having multiple jobs”, literally.
To say you are a part-time teacher, for example, say 我是一名兼职老师 (Wǒ shì yì míng jiānzhí lǎoshī). To say you are doing a part-time job somewhere, say 我在…兼职 (Wǒ zài … jiānzhí). For instance, 我在星巴克兼职 (Wǒ zài Xīngbākè jiānzhí) – I work part-time at Starbucks.
Full Time
The word for “full-time job” in Chinese is 全职 (quánzhí) – literally, “full profession”.
To say you have a full-time job, say 我有一份全职 (Wǒ yǒu yí fèn quánzhí).
To say you are a full-time someone, say 我是一名全职… (Wǒ shì yì míng quánzhí …). For instance, 我是一名全职游戏玩家 (Wǒ shì yì míng quánzhí yóuxì wánjiā) – I am a full-time gamer.
师傅
师傅 (shīfu) literally means “master” in Chinese. It is not a job title or profession but rather a popular and respectful title for the skilled and experienced people from the working class, such as taxi drivers, repairmen, security guards, delivery persons, shop assistants, etc.
You may also call strangers on the street 师傅 (shīfu) when you want to ask them for help, though the term is usually used for middle-aged to elderly men rather than youngsters and females. If you know the person’s family name, it’s more proper to address him by his family name plus 师傅 (shīfu), for instance, 王师傅 (Wáng shīfù) – “Master” Wang.
“To Do Business"
The Chinese expression for “do business” is 做生意 (zuò shēngyì), to say that you do business, say 我是做生意的 (wǒ shì zuò shēngyì de) – “I do business”. You can also say 我是一名生意人 (Wǒ shì yì míng shēngyì rén) or more formally, 我是一名商人 (Wǒ shì yì míng shāngrén) – “I am a businessman”.
“You're Fired"
The Chinese equivalent of “You’re fired” – Donald Trump’s catchphrase from his time on The Apprentice is 你被解雇了 (Nǐ bèi jiěgù le), which translates to “you’re discharged from employment”, literally.
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