同事

• Pinyin: tóng shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 同 = together, same; 事 = matter, work. Together: people sharing the same work

Meaning

Colleague; co-worker. A person who works at the same workplace.

Used in professional and workplace contexts to refer to people who work together. Can be modified with 老 (long-time colleague) or 新 (new colleague). A neutral, respectful term used across all industries and job levels.

Examples

1. 我和同事一起吃午饭。 I have lunch with my colleagues.
2. 他是我的新同事。 He is my new colleague.
3. 同事们都很友好。 My colleagues are all very friendly.

Usage Guide

Context: work, professional, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我和同事关系很好。(I have a good relationship with my colleagues.)
• 这位是我的同事小王。(This is my colleague Xiao Wang.)

Don't Say

• 我的同事是我的同学 (Don't confuse 同事 with 同学 — 同事 is for work colleagues; 同学 is for classmates or schoolmates)

Origin & History

同 (tóng, same/together) + 事 (shì, matter/work). People who share the same work — colleagues.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal