Chinese word

临时工

Pronunciation

Pinyinlín shí gōng

Meaning

  • nountemporary worker

Example

今天工地来了几个临时工。jīn tiān gōng dì lái le jǐ gè lín shí gōng

Several temporary workers came to the construction site today.

Illustration for 临时工 (temporary worker)

More examples

周末商场里有很多临时工帮顾客搬东西。zhōu mò shāng chǎng lǐ yǒu hěn duō lín shí gōng bāng gù kè bān dōng xī

On weekends, there are many temporary workers in the mall helping customers carry things.

Core concept

A person brought in for a limited stretch to cover extra work or a short-term need.

Common phrases

  • 做临时工zuò lín shí gōng

    do temporary work

  • 打临时工dǎ lín shí gōng

    work as a temporary worker

  • 找临时工zhǎo lín shí gōng

    look for temporary workers

Similar words

兼职jiān zhí: A person with a job or role that takes only part of the working day or week.
零工líng gōng: A casual worker hired for brief, separate jobs on an as-needed basis.

Definition in Chinese

因替代、季节性需求或临时项目而被短期雇佣以补充人手的人员，其任期可从几日到数月不等。yīn tì dài jì jié xìng xū qiú huò lín shí xiàng mù ér bèi duǎn qī gù yōng yǐ bǔ chōng rén shǒu de rén yuán qí rèn qī kě cóng jǐ rì dào shù yuè bù děng

Word origin

The compound 临 (lín, "approach") + 时 (shí, "time") + 工 (gōng, "work") forms a term for labor added only for a limited period.

Usage tips

  • The time span can last several months, so this term does not by itself mean a one-day worker; the exact length comes from context.

Other meanings

  • temporary staff membernoun
  • temporary hirenoun
  • day laborernoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 临时员工lín shí yuán gōngtemporary staff membernoun

Word lists with this word