退休金

• Pinyin: tuì xiū jīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 退 = 辶 (walk) + 艮 (stop); 休 = 人 (person) + 木 (tree) — a person resting by a tree; 金 = pictograph of buried metal nuggets

Meaning

Retirement pension; pension payment. The regular financial payment received by a person after retiring from work.

Refers to the monthly pension benefit (养老金) as well as any lump-sum retirement payment. A significant topic in Chinese society given the ageing population and ongoing pension reform debates. Colloquially, older people often refer to their 退休金 when discussing their financial security in retirement.

Examples

1. 他工作了三十年，每月领取相当可观的退休金。 He worked for thirty years and now receives a very decent monthly pension.
2. 退休金的高低直接影响老年人的生活质量。 The level of the pension directly affects the quality of life of the elderly.
3. 社保改革的目标之一是确保退休金按时足额发放。 One of the goals of the social security reform is to ensure that pension payments are made on time and in full.

Usage Guide

Context: social, financial, elderly

Tone: matter-of-fact

Do Say

• 她六十岁退休后每月领一笔退休金，生活无忧。(After she retired at sixty, she receives a monthly pension and has no financial worries.)
• 退休金不够维持生活，他只好再找了一份兼职。(The pension wasn't enough to cover living expenses, so he had to find a part-time job.)

Don't Say

• 把退休金和工资混用 (退休金 is a pension after retirement; 工资 is a salary earned while working — they are distinct)

Origin & History

Compound of 退休 (retire from work) + 金 (money, gold). Literally 'the money for retiring.'

Cultural Context

Generation: Older adults

Social background: Universal