打工

• Pinyin: dǎ gōng
• Hanzi breakdown: 打 = 扌 (hand) + 丁 (nail) — to strike, do, work; 工 = pictograph of a tool — work, labor

Meaning

To do manual or part-time work; to work for someone else. Often implies non-professional employment.

Originally from Cantonese, it became widespread in Mandarin. 打工 typically implies working for wages rather than running one's own business. Used especially for part-time, temporary, or blue-collar work. 打工人 became a popular internet term meaning working people.

Examples

1. 很多大学生假期去打工。 Many university students take part-time jobs during the holidays.
2. 他在一家餐厅打工。 He works at a restaurant.
3. 她从十八岁就开始出来打工了。 She started working since she was eighteen.

Usage Guide

Context: employment, part-time work, student life

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 你在哪里打工？(Where do you work?)
• 暑假的时候我去打工赚学费。(I work part-time during summer to earn tuition.)

Don't Say

• 不要对专业人士说'你在打工吗' — 打工 usually implies lower-level or temporary work. For professional employment, use 工作 instead.

Origin & History

From Cantonese 打工 (daa2 gung1). 打 (to do, to work) + 工 (work, labor). Originally a southern dialect expression that spread to standard Mandarin.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal