工具人

• Pinyin: gōng jù rén
• Hanzi breakdown: 工具 (tool) + 人 (person) -> person treated as a tool.

Meaning

A person used only for practical value, like a tool. It often describes someone ignored emotionally but relied on for tasks.

工具人 can be self-mocking or critical of unfair relationships. It appears in work, school, dating, and group-project contexts.

Examples

1. 我只是来搬东西的工具人。 I'm just a tool person here to move things.
2. 别把同事当工具人。 Don't treat your colleagues like tools.
3. 他在这段关系里像工具人。 He feels like a tool person in this relationship.

Usage Guide

Context: work, school, relationships

Tone: self-mocking, critical

Do Say

• 我不想一直当工具人。（I do not want to keep being used as a tool.）

Don't Say

• 把正常分工都说成工具人。（Not every task assignment is exploitation.）

Common Mistakes

• Using it for any helper; it implies lack of respect or emotional regard.

Origin & History

工具 means tool, and 人 means person; the metaphor reduces someone to utility.

Cultural Context

Era: 2010s onward

Generation: Students, workers, and internet users

Social background: Workplace, campus, and dating contexts

Regional notes: Common across Mainland online speech.