Work and the Office

Company and Jobs

This is a group of vocabulary about workplaces, occupations, and time terms commonly encountered in the office environment.

• 公司 (gōngsī: company) — noun referring to a place where people work. This word is made up of 公 (gōng: public, common) and 司 (sī: agency, department that manages). When writing, remember that the first character is 公, not another homophone. Example: 我在一家贸易公司工作。(Wǒ zài yì jiā màoyì gōngsī gōngzuò: I work at a trading company.)
• 上班 (shàngbān: to go to work) — separable verb, made up of 上 (shàng: up, to enter) and 班 (bān: work shift, work session). It is the opposite of 下班 (xiàbān: to get off work). Example: 我每天骑车上班。(Wǒ měitiān qí chē shàngbān: I ride a bicycle to work every day.)
• 职业 (zhíyè: occupation) — noun for the profession a person practices to earn a living. The character 职 (zhí: post, duty) is homophonous with 直 (straight), 值 (value), and 植 (plant), but only 职 combines with 业 to mean occupation. Example: 我的职业是老师。(Wǒ de zhíyè shì lǎoshī: my occupation is teacher.)
• 半 (bàn: half, half past) — used in telling time to indicate 30 minutes, as in 七点半 (qī diǎn bàn: seven thirty). The character 办 (bàn: to do, to handle) has the same sound but is not used for telling time. Example: 会议八点半开始。(Huìyì bā diǎn bàn kāishǐ: the meeting starts at eight thirty.)
• 会议 (huìyì: meeting, conference) — noun formed from 会 (huì: to meet, to gather) and 议 (yì: to discuss). Common accompanying verbs are 参加会议 (cānjiā huìyì: to attend a meeting) and 开会议 (kāi huìyì: to hold a meeting). Example: 下午三点我要参加一个会议。(Xiàwǔ sān diǎn wǒ yào cānjiā yí ge huìyì: I have to attend a meeting at three in the afternoon.)

Completing and Submitting Work

This group includes verbs that express finishing, submitting, or handling work, along with time expressions related to deadlines.