职员

• Pinyin: zhí yuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 职 = 耳 + 只 (position/duty); 员 = 口 + 贝 (member — person in an organisation)

Meaning

An employee; a staff member. Someone employed in an office or organisation.

A general term for white-collar workers. More formal than 员工 (employee) and less specific than titles like 经理 (manager). Common in corporate and governmental contexts. 公司职员 (company employee), 银行职员 (bank clerk).

Examples

1. 公司全体职员参加了年度总结大会。 All company employees attended the annual wrap-up meeting.
2. 他是一名普通的银行职员，工作认真负责。 He’s an ordinary bank employee who works diligently and responsibly.
3. 新入职的职员需要参加为期一周的培训课程。 New hires need to take part in a weeklong training program.

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, corporate, administrative

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 本公司共有职员三百余人，分布在各个部门。(This company has over three hundred employees distributed across various departments.)
• 职员食堂每天提供三餐，菜品丰富多样。(The staff cafeteria provides three meals daily with a rich variety of dishes.)

Don't Say

• 工厂里的职员 — factory workers are typically called 工人 or 员工; 职员 implies office or clerical work

Origin & History

职 (duty/position) + 员 (member/person)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal