兼职
jiānzhí
The English phrase "part-time job" is translated into Chinese as 兼职 (jiānzhí).
兼职 refers to employment that involves working fewer hours per week than a full-time schedule. To express the act of working a part-time job, you typically use the verb 做 (meaning "to do") before the word, forming the phrase 做兼职.
Which one should you use?
While 兼职 means part-time, the term for full-time employment is 全职, where 全 means "whole" or "full". Additionally, while 兼职 is the standard term, 打工 is a popular colloquial way to refer to a part-time job and 零工 specifically refers to temporary or casual work that is done on an irregular basis.
How do you pronounce it?
jiānzhí
Did you know?
- In many Chinese contexts, 兼职 (jiānzhí) is not just for students, but often refers to a 'second job' or 'side hustle' held by professionals alongside their main career.
- When using the colloquial term 打工, you are describing yourself as a 'laborer' or 'wage earner', which carries a slightly more humble or blue-collar connotation than the professional-sounding 兼职.
- The character 兼 (jiān) in 兼职 means 'to simultaneously hold' or 'to combine', implying you are holding two roles at once.
Examples in context
- 他在一家当地的咖啡馆打工 (tā zài yī jiā dāng dì de kā fēi guǎn dǎ gōng)。He works a part-time job at a local café.
- 他在找兼职。Tā zài zhǎo jiānzhí.He is looking for a part-time job.
- 这份兼职工资很高。Zhè fèn jiānzhí gōngzī hěn gāo.The pay for this part-time job is high.
- 我打算做一份兼职。Wǒ dǎsuàn zuò yī fèn jiānzhí.I plan to do a part-time job.
Example conversation
A male student and a female student are discussing summer plans at a university.
- 雨婷 Yuting志强，你暑假打算做什么？Zhìqiáng, nǐ shǔjià dǎsuàn zuò shénme?Zhiqiang, what are you planning to do this summer?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我想找份兼职赚点钱。Wǒ xiǎng zhǎo fèn jiānzhí zhuàn diǎn qián.I want to find a part-time job to earn some money.
- 雨婷 Yuting那我也想找个兼职。Nà wǒ yě xiǎng zhǎo gè jiānzhí.Then I also want to find a part-time job.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好啊，我们可以一起找。Hǎo a, wǒmen kěyǐ yīqǐ zhǎo.Great, we can look for one together.
