工人

• Pinyin: gōng rén
• Hanzi breakdown: 工 (work, labour) + 人 (person) — a working person

Meaning

Worker; labourer. Refers to someone who does manual or industrial work.

Specifically refers to manual or factory workers, not office workers. For office workers, 职员 or 员工 is used. 工人 carries a respected connotation in Chinese culture, especially in the phrase 工人阶级 (working class).

Examples

1. 他爸爸是一个工人。 His dad is a worker.
2. 工人们在工厂上班。 The workers work at the factory.
3. 这个工人工作很认真。 This worker is very diligent.

Usage Guide

Context: work, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我叔叔是一个工人。(My uncle is a worker.)
• 工人们每天很辛苦。(The workers work very hard every day.)

Don't Say

• 他是一个工人，在办公室上班。(Contradictory — 工人 implies manual labour, not office work; use 职员 for office workers)

Origin & History

Compound of 工 (work, labour) and 人 (person) — a person who does manual work.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal