打工 meaning in English
to work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or during vacation
Meaning of 打工
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to work a temporary or casual job
- (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or during vacation
How to use 打工
打工 is used for casual, temporary, or part-time jobs, and very often for students working after class or during holidays. It can also describe working for someone else as an employee, often with a modest or self-mocking tone. Example: 我暑假在咖啡店打工。(Wǒ shǔjià zài kāfēi diàn dǎgōng.) I work part-time at a coffee shop during summer vacation.
打 (dǎ) means to hit or do, and 工 (gōng) means work, so 打工 is literally "doing work." Think of it as doing work in small pieces, like a part-time shift, rather than holding a full career.
Common mistake: Learners often use 打工 for any job, but for a regular full-time job 工作 (gōngzuò) is the normal word. Also, 打工 is a verb-object phrase, so don't add another object after it. Say 在饭店打工, not 打工饭店.
打工 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.
打 dǎ · to hit · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
工 gōng · labor · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 打工.
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 打开 | dǎkāi | to open; to show (a ticket) |
| 工人 | gōngrén | worker |
| 打球 | dǎ qiú | to play a ball sport |
| 打车 | dǎchē | to take a taxi (in town); to hitch a lift |
| 打算 | dǎsuàn | to plan; to intend |
| 打印 | dǎyìn | to affix a seal; to stamp |
| 打破 | dǎpò | to break; to smash |
| 工厂 | gōngchǎng | factory |
| 工具 | gōngjù | tool; instrument |
| 员工 | yuángōng | staff; personnel; employee |
Questions about 打工
What does 打工 mean?
打工 (dǎgōng) means "to work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or during vacation".
How do you write 打工?
打工 is made of 2 characters: 打 (5 strokes), 工 (3 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 打工 an HSK word?
Yes. 打工 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can I put words between 打 and 工?
Yes, because 打工 is a verb plus object, you can split it. For example, 打了三年工 (dǎle sān nián gōng) means "worked for three years."
What does 打工人 mean?
打工人 (dǎgōngrén) is a popular internet word for an ordinary working person or office worker. People often use it humorously to describe themselves, even if they have a full-time job.