业余 meaning in English
in one's spare time; outside working hours
Meaning of 业余
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- in one's spare time
- outside working hours
- amateur (historian etc)
How to use 业余
业余 describes things done outside one's job, like hobbies, or people who are not professionals. It often comes before a noun, as in 业余时间 (spare time) or 业余爱好者 (amateur enthusiast). Example: 他业余时间喜欢画画。(Tā yèyú shíjiān xǐhuan huà huà.) He likes to paint in his spare time.
业 (yè) means work or occupation, and 余 (yú) means surplus or what is left over. So 业余 is the time left over after work, which is when amateurs pursue their hobbies.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 业余 to mean free time from school or a day off. It is tied to work, so for general free time 空闲 (kòngxián) or 有空 (yǒu kòng) is often more natural. Also note that 业余 can sound like 'not skilled' when describing someone's work, so be careful using it as a comment on quality.
业余 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
业 yè · line of business · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
余 yú · literary I · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 业余.
| 作业 | zuòyè | school assignment; homework |
| 事业 | shìyè | undertaking; project |
| 专业 | zhuānyè | specialty; specialized field |
| 职业 | zhíyè | occupation; profession; vocation; professional |
| 商业 | shāngyè | business; trade |
| 工业 | gōngyè | industry |
| 农业 | nóngyè | agriculture; farming |
| 开业 | kāiyè | to open a business; to open a practice |
| 就业 | jiùyè | to get a job; employment |
| 创业 | chuàngyè | to begin an undertaking; to start an enterprise; entrepreneurship |
| 毕业 | bìyè | graduation; to graduate |
| 企业 | qǐyè | company; firm; enterprise; corporation |
Questions about 业余
What does 业余 mean?
业余 (yèyú) means "in one's spare time; outside working hours" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 业余?
业余 is made of 2 characters: 业 (5 strokes), 余 (7 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 业余 an HSK word?
Yes. 业余 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 业余 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 业余 is written 業餘.
What is the opposite of 业余?
The usual opposite is 专业 (zhuānyè), meaning professional or specialized. For example, 业余歌手 is an amateur singer and 专业歌手 is a professional singer.
Can 业余 be used as an insult in Chinese?
Yes. Saying 你太业余了 (nǐ tài yèyú le) means 'you are so unprofessional' or 'that is amateurish.' In casual speech it criticizes poor skill, much like 'amateur' in English.