007

• Pinyin: 007
• Hanzi breakdown: 007 = 0 to 0 hours, 7 days; a joke for nonstop work.

Meaning

007 means working all day, every day, with virtually no real rest.

It exaggerates beyond 996 to describe round-the-clock availability or startup-style overwork. It is usually critical or self-mocking, not a neutral schedule label.

Examples

1. 创业初期像007[líng líng qī]，手机不敢关。 At the start of the startup, it felt like 007 - I couldn't even switch my phone off.
2. 项目上线那周，团队过成007[líng líng qī]。 The week the project launched, the whole team ended up living like 007.
3. 别把忙一晚上就说007[líng líng qī]。 Don't call staying busy for one night 007.

Usage Guide

Context: startups, project crunch, workplace complaints

Tone: exhausted, critical, hyperbolic

Do Say

• 连续无休赶项目可说007[líng líng qī]。（It fits nonstop crunch.）
• 吐槽随时待命也可用007[líng líng qī]。（It fits always-on work.）

Don't Say

• 把普通忙碌周叫007[líng líng qī]。（It implies no real rest.）

Common Mistakes

• Do not confuse it with the James Bond code in work-schedule contexts.

Origin & History

The number pattern is interpreted as zero o’clock to zero o’clock, seven days a week, echoing 996-style shorthand.

Cultural Context

Era: 2020s

Generation: Workers familiar with overtime slang

Social background: Startup, tech, and project-based workers

Regional notes: Recognized in Mainland workplace slang, less universal than 996.