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.
Occupation Words in Chinese
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