Before we look up the occupation and time words in Chinese, let me ask you a question. Do you know why so many foreigners work as English teachers in China? Foreign teachers in China are in high demand and are needed in institutions from kindergartens to universities and specialized training centers. A flexible schedule and high hourly pay is the main reason why foreigners choose it. Although there is no promotion and development for this career, it is still easier than mastering your Chinese and getting into a local company to work like a slave.
Occupation Words in Chinese
| Simplify | China | Traditional | Taiwan | English | Korean | Japanese |
| 同学 | tóngxué | 同學 | tóngxué | Classmate | 동창 | 同窓 |
| 班长 | bānzhǎng | 班長 | bānzhǎng | Class leader | 반장 | 班長 |
| 校长 | xiàozhǎng | 校長 | xiàozhǎng | Principal | 학교장 | 学校長 |
| 市长 | shìzhǎng | 市長 | shìzhǎng | Mayor | 시장 | 市長 |
| 家长 | jiāzhǎng | 家長 | jiāzhǎng | Parent | 가장 | 両親 |
| 队长 | duìzhǎng | 隊長 | duìzhǎng | Team leader | 대장 | チームリーダー |
| 组长 | zǔzhǎng | 組長 | zǔzhǎng | Group leader | 조장 | 組長 |
| 职业 | zhíyè | 職業 | zhíyè | Occupation | 직업 | 職業 |
| 教授 | jiàoshòu | 教授 | jiàoshòu | Professor | 교수 | 敎授 |
| 作家 | zuòjiā | 作家 | zuòjiā | Writer; author | 작가 | 作家 |
| 经理 | jīnglǐ | 經理 | jīnglǐ | Manager | 기업의 책임자 | マネージャー |
| 记者 | jìzhě | 記者 | jìzhě | Journalist | 기자 | 記者 |
| 服务员 | fúwùyuán | 服務生 | fúwùshēng | Waiter/ Waitress | 웨이터 | ウエーター |
| 客人 | kèrén | 客人 | kèrén | Customer | 손님 | 顧客 |
| 小偷 | xiǎotōu | 小偷 | xiǎotōu | Thief | 도둑 | 泥棒 |
Examples
Waiter and Waitress
In Taiwan, we don’t call them by their job title; we call them 先生 xiānshēng (Mr.) and 小姐 xiǎojiě (Miss). But 服务员fúwùyuán is commonly used in China when you call a waiter or waitress.
先生，我要點餐
服务员，我要点餐
Xiānshēng，wǒ yào diǎncān.
Fúwùyuán，wǒ yào diǎncān.
Excuse me, I’d like to order.
我經理很不喜歡我
我经理很不喜欢我
Wǒ jīnglǐ hěn bù xǐhuān wǒ.
Wǒ jīnglǐ hěn bù xǐhuan wǒ.
My manager dislike me very much.
Time Words in Chinese
| Simplify | China | Traditional | Taiwan | English | Korean | Japanese |
| 日期 | rìqī | 日期 | rìqí | Date | 날짜 | 期日 |
| 时间 | shíjiān | 時間 | shíjiān | Time | 시간 | 時間 |
| 礼拜 | lǐbài | 禮拜 | lǐbài | Week | 주 | 週 |
| 周 | zhōu | 週 | zhōu | Week | 주 | 週 |
| 周末 | zhōumò | 週末 | zhōumò | Weekend | 주말 | 週末 |
| 前天 | qiántiān | 前天 | qiántiān | The day before yesterday | 그저께 | おとと |
| 后天 | hòutiān | 後天 | hòutiān | The day after tomorrow | 모레 | あさって |
| 从前 | cóngqián | 從前 | cóngqián | Before | 전에 | 前に |
| 夜里 | yèlǐ | 夜裡 | yèlǐ | At night | 밤에 | 夜に |
| 过年 | guònián | 過年 | guònián | Chinese New Year | 새해 | 新年 |
| 周年 | zhōunián | 週年 | zhōunián | Anniversary | 주년 | 周年 |
| 一会儿 | yìhuǐér | 一下 | yíxià | A short time | 잠깐 동안 | ちょんの間 |
| 久 | jiǔ | 久 | jiǔ | A long time | 오랫동안 | 久しい間 |
| 最近 | zuìjìn | 最近 | zuìjìn | Recently | 최근 | 最近 |
Examples
Difference between 星期, 週/周, and 禮拜/礼拜
星期 xīngqí/xīngqī: It is a spoken form and commonly used in both Taiwan and China.
禮拜/礼拜: It is a spoken form and commonly used in Taiwan.
週/周: It is a written form and is commonly used in both Taiwan and China.
好久不見！
好久不见！
Hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn！
Long time no see！
等一下！
等一会儿！
Děng yíxià！
Děng yìhuǐr！
Wait a second!
A2 Occupation and Time
