兼职

• Pinyin: jiān zhí
• Hanzi breakdown: 兼 = holding multiple things simultaneously; 职 = 耳 (ear) + 戠 — originally related to listening for duties, now means job or position

Meaning

Part-time job; to hold a concurrent position. Work done in addition to one's main employment.

Can refer to either a part-time job held by students or others seeking supplementary income, or a secondary position held concurrently with one's primary role. In professional contexts, often describes someone who holds multiple official titles or responsibilities simultaneously.

Examples

1. 大学生做兼职既能积累社会经验，又能减轻家庭的经济负担。 College students doing part-time work can both accumulate social experience and reduce the financial burden on their families.
2. 他在公司担任首席技术官的同时还兼职大学教授。 He serves as Chief Technology Officer at the company while also holding a concurrent position as a university professor.
3. 她辞掉了兼职，决定全心投入创业。 She quit her part-time job and decided to devote herself fully to starting a business.

Usage Guide

Context: work, education, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我周末在咖啡店做兼职。(I work part-time at a coffee shop on weekends.)
• 她兼职做翻译，收入还不错。(She does translation work on the side and the income is pretty good.)

Don't Say

• 说'我有三个兼职工作'来描述三份全职工作 (Don't use 兼职 for multiple full-time positions — 兼职 implies secondary or part-time; use 同时有几份工作 instead)

Origin & History

Composed of 兼 (simultaneously; to combine) + 职 (job; position). Literally means holding multiple jobs or positions at once.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal