| Many expats are optimistic about finding a job in China as China has been playing a tremendous role in the international arena. In fact, there are a lot of job positions in different industries (especially the educational industry) that are open to expats, and many of them find it necessary to learn Chinese to effectively communicate with their colleagues. In this article, we would like to introduce some of the basic work-related words to you.  1. To start work, 上班 (shàng bān) 上 (shàng) means “on” or “up”, and 班 (bān) means “shift”. Hence, the literal meaning of this word is “up to your post”, which is equivalent to “to start work” in English. Like in most countries around world, Chinese people usually start work at 9am. 中国人每天九点上班。(Zhōngguó rén měi tiān jiǔdiǎn shàng bān) - Chinese people start work at nine every day. 2. To finish work, 下班 (xià bān) 下 (xià) means “under” or “down”, which is the opposite word of 上 (shàng). Therefore, 下班 (xià bān) means “to finish work”. In general, Chinese people finish work at 6pm. However, whether or not a person can finish his or her work on time often depends on the workload on a specific day. It’s common for Chinese employees to work for an extra two or three hours on a day in order to complete a certain task assigned by their superiors. 中国人通常六点下班。(Zhōngguórén tōngcháng liùdiǎn xià bān) - Chinese people usually finish work at six. 3. To work overtime, 加班 (jiā bān) 加 (jiā) means “to add”, and the literal meaning of this word is “to add more shifts”, which can be translated as “to work overtime”. In China, young people have got used to working in fast-paced environments and handling a large amount of workload on a daily basis. As a result, working overtime is a phenomenon that can be observed in major Chinese cities. 我这周很忙，每天需要加班。(Wǒ zhè zhōu hěn máng, měi tiān xūyào jiā bān) - I’m very busy this week, and I need to work overtime every day. 4. To ask for a leave, 请假 (qǐng jià) In China, it’s acceptable to ask for a leave without giving any notice (a proper reason still needs to be provided) if something unexpected happened or one needs to deal with something urgent. Generally speaking, Chinese companies offer an average of five to ten days of paid leave every year for all their employees. 我的奶奶病了，我需要请假。(Wǒ de nǎinai bìng le, wǒ xūyào qǐng jià) - My grandma is ill, and I need to ask for a leave. Different types of leave: 年假 (nián jià): annual leave 病假 (bìng jià): sick leave 事假 (shì jià): casual leave 婚假 (hūn jià): marital leave 产假 (chǎn jià): maternity leave 5. To change one’s shift, 调休 (tiáoxiū) This word is new to many Chinese learners in that the concept of “调休 tiáoxiū” doesn’t exist in most of the other countries around the world. Imagine such a scenario, you’re supposed to be on duty this Wednesday, but you can’t make it to work due to some personal reasons and are willing to “compensate” on Saturday instead. In China, this procedure is called “调休 tiáoxiū”. 昨天我加班了，明天早上我想调休。(Zuótiān wǒ jiābān le, míngtiān zǎoshang wǒ xiǎng tiáoxiū) - I worked overtime yesterday and I want to take off tomorrow morning. |
| FOLLOW US： |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |