Chinese word

农民工

Pronunciation

Pinyinnóng mín gōng

Meaning

  • nounmigrant worker

Example

这些农民工在工地工作。zhè xiē nóng mín gōng zài gōng dì gōng zuò

These migrant workers work at the construction site.

Illustration for 农民工 (migrant worker)

More examples

很多农民工每逢春节都会回老家。hěn duō nóng mín gōng měi féng chūn jié dū huì huí lǎo jiā

Many migrant workers go back to their hometown every Spring Festival.

Core concept

A rural-origin worker who earns a living through hands-on jobs in a city.

Common phrases

  • 进城农民工jìn chéng nóng mín gōng

    migrant workers who come to the city

  • 外来农民工wài lái nóng mín gōng

    migrant workers from elsewhere

Similar words

务工人员wù gōng rén yuán: A neutral term for a person who works for wages in a city.
打工者dǎ gōng zhě: A person who works for wages, especially in a factory or on a construction site.
劳工láo gōng: A general term for a worker who engages in labor.

Definition in Chinese

指农村户籍或来自乡村的人到城市务工，从事体力或低技能劳动以维持生计，多见于建筑、制造和服务行业。zhǐ nóng cūn hù jí huò lái zì xiāng cūn de rén dào chéng shì wù gōng cóng shì tǐ lì huò dī jì néng láo dòng yǐ wéi chí shēng jì duō jiàn yú jiàn zhù zhì zào hé fú wù háng yè

Word origin

农民工 (nóngmíngōng, "migrant worker") combines 农 (nóng, "farming") + 民 (mín, "people") + 工 (gōng, "worker") to identify rural-origin people by the urban work they take.

Usage tips

  • The word includes rural origin or registration, so it does not simply mean any worker who travels to a job in a city.

Opposites

  • 城市居民chéng shì jū míncity residentsnoun
  • 本地居民běn dì jū mínlocal residentsnoun

Related words

  • 农民工子女nóng mín gōng zí nǚchildren of migrant workersnoun
  • 返乡农民工fǎn xiāng nóng mín gōngmigrant workers returning homenoun

Word lists with this word