English–Chinese
“lay off” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyincái
Example
因为业绩不好，他被裁了。yīn wèi yè jì bù hǎo tā bèi cái le
Because the business was doing poorly, he was laid off.
How to say “lay off” in Chinese
“Lay off” in Chinese is 裁 (cái).
A company cuts away part of its workforce, leaving a smaller organization.
Example sentences with 裁
公司决定在月底开始裁员。gōng sī jué dìng zài yuè dǐ kāi shǐ cái yuán
The company decided to begin laying off employees at the end of the month.
Tips for using 裁
- In everyday Mandarin, this verb commonly appears in a passive pattern with the employee as the subject, so the sentence focuses on the job loss rather than the company's action.