同事
tóngshì
The English word colleague is 同事 (tóngshì) in Chinese. Wiktionary also lists 同僚 (tóngliáo).
Meaning: fellow member of a profession (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 同事 | tóngshì |
| 同僚 | tóngliáo |
同事 is used to refer to any person you work with, regardless of whether you are in the same department or the same company.
What does it mean word for word?
同事 (tóngshì) is composed of 同 (same) and 事 (work/matter), which literally means 'same work person'.
Which one should you use?
While 同事 is the standard term for a coworker, 同僚 (tóngliáo) is a more formal, literary term often used to describe peers within a specific official or professional circle.
How do you pronounce it?
tóngshì
Did you know?
- While 同事 is a neutral term, people in Chinese workplaces often prefer using kinship terms like 大哥 'big brother' or 姐 'sister' to build closer bonds with their colleagues.
- If you use the more formal term 同僚 (tóngliáo) in a modern office, you might sound like a character from a historical drama or a period piece.
- In a professional Chinese context, you often refer to a colleague by their title and surname, such as 王经理 'Manager Wang', rather than using their name or the word 同事.
Examples in context
- 明惠是我的同事。Minghui is my colleague.This sentence is useful for identifying a person as a colleague using 同事.Tatoeba #6149266 by xjjAstrus, translation #6276535 by Kiwi
- 我是汤姆的一位同事。I'm a colleague of Tom's.This sentence is useful for describing your own relationship as a colleague of someone else using 同事.Tatoeba #10696115 by GlossaMatik, translation #6710917 by CK
- 我們在澳洲有一位同事。We have a colleague in Australia.This sentence is useful for mentioning the existence of a colleague in a specific location using 同事.Tatoeba #13753103 by LeviHighway, translation #8224364 by CK
- 你们好，同事们！Hello, colleagues!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are introducing each other at a networking event.
- 伟 Wei雨婷，这位是我的同事。Yǔtíng, zhè wèi shì wǒ de tóngshì.Yuting, this is my colleague.
- 雨婷 Yuting你好！你们共事很久了吗？Nǐ hǎo! Nǐmen gòngshì hěnjiǔ le ma?Hello! Have you worked together for a long time?
- 伟 Wei是的，他是我最好的同事。Shì de, tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de tóngshì.Yes, he is my best colleague.
- 雨婷 Yuting很高兴认识你。Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ.It is nice to meet you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “colleague” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
