怠工

• Pinyin: dài gōng
• Hanzi breakdown: 怠 = 台 + 心 (negligent heart); 工 = work, labor

Meaning

Work slowdown; to deliberately reduce work output as a form of protest or labor action.

A form of industrial action where workers deliberately perform below their capacity without going on full strike. Used in labor disputes and discussions of workplace resistance.

Examples

1. 工人们以怠工的方式表达对管理层决策的不满。 The workers expressed their dissatisfaction with management's decision by slowing down their work.
2. 严重的怠工现象导致工厂产量大幅下降。 A serious work slowdown caused the factory's output to drop sharply.
3. 管理层意识到员工的怠工行为后，立即召开了紧急会议。 After management realized that employees were engaging in a slowdown, they immediately held an emergency meeting.

Usage Guide

Context: labor, workplace, politics

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 工人们采取了怠工策略来施压于资方。(The workers adopted a work slowdown strategy to pressure management.)
• 怠工是一种不影响就业的抗议手段。(A work slowdown is a protest method that does not jeopardize employment.)

Don't Say

• 我今天怠工了 — this sounds flippant; 消极怠工 is the full formal term in official or legal contexts

Origin & History

怠 (lazy, negligent) + 工 (work)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Working class