奖金

• Pinyin: jiǎng jīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 奖 = 大 + 将 (award/prize); 金 = pictograph of gold nuggets under earth — money, gold

Meaning

Bonus; prize money. A monetary reward given for good performance or winning a competition.

Refers to monetary rewards given for achievements, good performance at work, or winning competitions. Very commonly used in workplace and competition contexts. Common collocations include 年终奖金 (year-end bonus), 发奖金 (to issue bonuses), and 奖金制度 (bonus system). Different from 奖品 (prize item, a non-monetary reward).

Examples

1. 今年公司发的奖金比去年多了不少。 The bonus the company gave this year is quite a bit more than last year.
2. 她用比赛的奖金买了一台新电脑。 She used the prize money from the competition to buy a new computer.
3. 如果业绩好的话，年底会有奖金。 If performance is good, there will be a bonus at the end of the year.

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, competitions, finance

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 这个月的奖金什么时候发？(When will this month's bonus be issued?)
• 比赛的奖金有五万块。(The competition prize money is 50,000 yuan.)

Don't Say

• 我拿到了很多奖金礼物 (Don't confuse 奖金 with 奖品 — 奖金 specifically refers to money, while 奖品 refers to prize items)

Origin & History

A compound of 奖 (award/prize) and 金 (money/gold), literally meaning award money.

Cultural Context

Generation: Working adults

Social background: Universal