跳槽

• Pinyin: tiào cáo
• Hanzi breakdown: 跳 = 足 (foot) + 兆 — to jump; 槽 = 木 + 曹 — trough

Meaning

To change jobs; to job-hop.

A colloquial term for leaving one's current job to work for a different company. Very common in modern workplace conversations. Originally meant horses jumping from one feeding trough to another.

Examples

1. 他在这家公司干了五年，最近跳槽到竞争对手那边去了。 He worked at this company for five years and recently jumped ship to a competitor.
2. 年轻人跳槽频繁已经成为职场常态，企业也在适应这种变化。 Frequent job-hopping among young people has become the workplace norm, and companies are adapting.
3. 跳槽之前要想清楚，不能只看薪资，还要考虑发展空间。 Before changing jobs, think it through — don't just look at salary, also consider growth opportunities.

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, career, employment

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 你打算跳槽吗？(Are you planning to change jobs?)
• 他跳槽了。(He switched jobs.)

Don't Say

• 在正式简历中用'跳槽' (In formal resumes, use 转职 or 换工作 instead of the colloquial 跳槽)

Origin & History

跳 means to jump, 槽 means trough (for animal feed) — jumping to another feeding trough, i.e., switching jobs.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal