工作

• Pinyin: gōng zuò
• Hanzi breakdown: 工 (work, labour) + 作 (to do, to make) — the act of doing work

Meaning

Work; job; to work. Can be used as both a noun and a verb.

As a noun, it refers to a job or occupation. As a verb, it means to work. One of the most essential vocabulary words for daily conversation about occupation and livelihood. Common patterns: 你在哪儿工作？ and 你的工作是什么？

Examples

1. 你在哪儿工作？ Where do you work?
2. 她的工作是老师。 Her job is a teacher.
3. 爸爸每天工作八个小时。 Dad works eight hours every day.

Usage Guide

Context: work, self-introduction, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你做什么工作？(What work do you do?)
• 我在银行工作。(I work at a bank.)

Don't Say

• 我工作在医院。(Wrong word order — say 我在医院工作, as the location comes before the verb)

Origin & History

Compound of 工 (work, construction) and 作 (to do, to make) — doing work or making things.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal