社保
shèbǎo
In Mandarin, "social security" is expressed as 社保 (shèbǎo).
This term refers to social security benefits. In professional settings, you will often see the verb 缴纳 (jiǎonà – to pay/contribute) used with 社保 when discussing the payment of social security premiums by employers or employees.
Meaning: benefits (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
社保 is a contraction of the full term 社会保障 (shèhuì bǎozhàng). The part 社会 means 'social' and 保障 means 'security' or 'guarantee'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
社保 is the common spoken contraction. The full term 社会保障 is the formal version used in legal contexts and official documents.
How do you pronounce it?
shèbǎo
Did you know?
- While 社保 is the umbrella term, the 'five insurances' 五险 are frequently grouped with a 'one fund' 一金 (the Housing Provident Fund) to form the phrase 五险一金.
- In mainland China, 社保 is tied to the hukou or household registration system, meaning workers often cannot transfer their benefits if they move to a different city without a specific legal process.
- The word 社会 in 社保 originally referred to a 'society' or 'community' in a more ritualistic or ancestral sense before it became the modern term for 'social'.
Examples in context
- 他在交社保。Tā zài jiāo shèbǎo.He is paying social security.
- 公司会帮你买社保。Gōngsī huì bāng nǐ mǎi shèbǎo.The company will help you buy social security.
- 社保的待遇很高。Shèbǎo de dàiyù hěn gāo.The social security benefits are very high.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing employee benefits.
- 雨婷 Yuting俊杰，这家公司提供社保吗？Jùnjié, zhè jiā gōngsī tígōng shèbǎo ma?Junjie, does this company provide social security?
- 俊杰 Junjie提供，而且额度还很高。Tígōng, érqiě édù hái hěn gāo.Yes, and the amount is quite high.
- 雨婷 Yuting那太好了，我很在意社保。Nà tài hǎo le, wǒ hěn zàiyì shèbǎo.That's great, I care a lot about social security.
- 俊杰 Junjie雨婷，你可以放心加入。Yǔtíng, nǐ kěyǐ fàngxīn jiārù.Yuting, you can join with peace of mind.
