员工

• Pinyin: yuán gōng
• Hanzi breakdown: 员 = 口 (mouth) + 贝 (shell/money), meaning member; 工 = pictograph of a tool or workbench, meaning work

Meaning

Employee; staff member. Refers to a person employed by a company or organisation.

A formal and widely used term for employees in companies, factories, and organisations. More neutral and modern than 工人 (worker), which implies manual labour. Often used in corporate and HR contexts.

Examples

1. 这家公司有两百多名员工。 This company has over two hundred employees.
2. 公司为员工提供免费午餐。 The company provides free lunch for employees.
3. 新员工需要参加三天的培训。 New employees need to attend three days of training.

Usage Guide

Context: business, workplace, HR

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 我们公司的员工都很努力。(Our company's employees all work very hard.)
• 员工满意度调查显示结果很好。(The employee satisfaction survey showed good results.)

Don't Say

• 老板也是员工。(Don't use 员工 for the owner or boss — 员工 refers to hired staff, not the employer)

Origin & History

员 (member, person) + 工 (work, labour). A member who does work — an employee.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal