Occupation Words in Chinese

Table of Contents

Before we look up the occupation words in Chinese, let me tell you a fun fact. It’s very common and polite to address a woman you don’t know or a waitress “xiǎojiě” in Taiwan. However, you may upset people when you use it in China. That is because “xiǎojiě” is used as “street girl, prostitute” in China. So be careful, if you are traveling in China you should say “Nǚshì” instead of “xiǎojiě.”

Another word is “xiǎojiějie.” This is a new trendy word recently. It’s an amiable form to address a young woman of about one’s age or a little older.

Simplify	China	Traditional	Taiwan	English	Korean	Japanese
工人	gōngrén	工人	gōngrén	Worker	노동자	労働者
公安	gōng’ān	警察	jǐngchá	Police	경찰관	警察
老板	lǎobǎn	老闆	lǎobǎn	Boss	주인	ボス
老师	lǎobǎn	老師	lǎobǎn	Teacher	선생님	先生
司机	sījī	司機	sījī	Driver	운전사	運転手
学生	xuésheng	學生	xuéshēng	Student	학생	学生
医生	yīshēng	醫生	yīshēng	Doctor	의사	医者

Examples

司機/司机 sījī is a job title in China, so when you address a taxi driver, you should call they 師傅/师傅 shīfu. On the other hand, we call them sījī dàgē or sījī dàjiě in Taiwan.

司機大哥我趕時間，能開快一點嗎？
师傅我赶时间，能开快点儿吗？
Sījī dàgē wǒ gǎnshíjiān，néng kāi kuàiyìdiǎn ma？
Shīfu wǒ gǎnshíjiān，néng kāi kuàidiǎnr ma？
I’m in a hurry, can you drive faster?

我要做我自己的老闆
我要做我自己的老板
Wǒ yào zuò wǒzìjǐ de lǎobǎn!
I want to be my own boss!

Identity Words in Chinese

Simplify	China	Traditional	Taiwan	English	Korean	Japanese
工作	gōngzuò	工作	gōngzuò	Work, job	일, 작업	仕事
大家	dàjiā	大家	dàjiā	Everyone	여러분	皆
同事	tóngshì	同事	tóngshì	Colleague	동료	同僚
朋友	péngyou	朋友	péngyǒu	Friend	친구	友達
男	nán	男	nán	Male	남자	男
女	nǚ	女	nǚ	Female	여자	女
女士	nǚshì	小姐	xiǎojiě	Miss	아기씨	お嬢さん

Examples

他是我朋友，不是我男朋友
Tā shì wǒ péngyǒu，búshì wǒ nánpéngyǒu.
Tā shì wǒ péngyou，búshì wǒ nánpéngyou.
He is my friend, not my boyfriend.

F.Y.I.

The secret of Chinese working environment:

We take a nap at noon. Since the work hours in China and Taiwan can be very long, employers are willing to allow the workers to take a 30 mins ish nap to keep their energy.
Your relationship with your supervisor is like the knight to the royal. There’s no discussion between you and your supervisor. You should always follow your supervisor’s instructions even though you believe it is wrong.
Teamwork is more valuable than individual work. This style is related to Confucius’s teaching, that people should always be humble. So even if you did all the team works, you still should say you did it with your team members. And then pray for your supervisor knows the fact. Usually, they do!

A1 Occupation

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