Day 19: Work & School — Learn Chinese in 30 Days
Learn Chinese vocabulary for talking about jobs, workplaces, and school — plus how to answer the inevitable 'What do you do?' question in Chinese.
Today's Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 工作 | Work / Job | |
| 公司 | Company | |
| 老板 | Boss | |
| 同事 | Colleague | |
| 学生 | Student | |
| 老师 | Teacher | |
| 学校 | School | |
| 上班 | To go to work | |
| 下班 | To get off work | |
| 开会 | To have a meeting |
What You’ll Learn Today
“What do you do?” is one of the first questions you’ll be asked in China — probably within the first five minutes of meeting someone. Today we cover work and school vocabulary so you can answer fluently and keep the conversation going.
Talking About Your Job
The pattern: 我是 [job title] / 我在 [place] 工作
- 我是老师。(Wǒ shì lǎo shī.) — I am a teacher.
- 我在一家科技公司工作。(Wǒ zài yī jiā kē jì gōng sī gōng zuò.) — I work at a tech company.
- 我是自由职业者。(Wǒ shì zì yóu zhí yè zhě.) — I’m a freelancer.
- 我在读书。(Wǒ zài dú shū.) — I’m studying / I’m a student.
Common Job Titles
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 医生 | yī shēng | Doctor |
| 工程师 | gōng chéng shī | Engineer |
| 设计师 | shè jì shī | Designer |
| 律师 | lǜ shī | Lawyer |
| 商人 | shāng rén | Businessman |
| 厨师 | chú shī | Chef |
| 护士 | hù shi | Nurse |
| 记者 | jì zhě | Journalist |
| 程序员 | chéng xù yuán | Programmer |
Work Culture Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 加班 | jiā bān | Work overtime |
| 出差 | chū chāi | Business trip |
| 薪水 | xīn shuǐ | Salary |
| 假期 | jià qī | Holiday / Vacation |
| 年假 | nián jià | Annual leave |
| 辞职 | cí zhí | Resign / Quit |
Sentence Patterns
Pattern 1: Asking about someone’s job
你是做什么工作的？— Nǐ shì zuò shén me gōng zuò de? — What do you do for work?
Pattern 2: Talking about your schedule
我八点上班，六点下班。— Wǒ bā diǎn shàng bān, liù diǎn xià bān. — I start work at 8 and finish at 6.
Pattern 3: Complaining about work (useful!)
最近工作很忙。— Zuì jìn gōng zuò hěn máng. — Work has been really busy lately. 我今晚要加班。— Wǒ jīn wǎn yào jiā bān. — I have to work overtime tonight.
Cultural Note
“996” culture — working 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week — was widely discussed in China as the expectation at many tech companies. While controversial and increasingly challenged by younger workers, long work hours remain common in Chinese corporate culture.
Guanxi (关系 guān xi) — relationships and connections — is enormously important in Chinese professional life. Building and maintaining professional relationships through shared meals, gifts, and favors is as important as technical skills.
Asking about someone’s salary is not considered rude in China — it’s seen as practical curiosity. If you’d rather not answer, a vague “还好吧” (hái hǎo ba — “not bad”) usually suffices.
Practice Exercise
How do you say:
- “I’m a teacher.”
- “What do you do for work?”
- “I work at a tech company.”
- “Work has been very busy lately.”
Answers: 1) 我是老师。2) 你是做什么工作的？3) 我在一家科技公司工作。4) 最近工作很忙。