Chinese word

加班

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiā bān

今晚我要加班，可能会很晚回家。jīn wǎn wǒ yào jiā bān kě néng huì hěn wǎn huí jiā

Tonight I have to work overtime, so I may get home late.

他因为项目紧，最近经常加班。tā yīn wèi xiàng mù jǐn zuì jìn jīng cháng jiā bān

His project has a tight schedule, so he has often been working overtime recently.

An ordinary work schedule is stretched by adding time after its planned end.

上班shàng bān: Go to work and begin the day's work period.
下班xià bān: End the work period and leave the workplace.
工作gōng zuò: Carry out work or perform a job.
休息xiū xī: Take a break from work to relax.

在正常工作时间之外继续工作，延长工作时间。zài zhèng cháng gōng zuò shí jiān zhī wài jì xù gōng zuò yán cháng gōng zuò shí jiān

加 (jiā, "add") + 班 (bān, "work shift") presents extra work as adding a work period to the regular schedule.

The word identifies extra working time, not payment for it, so it does not by itself say whether an employer provides extra pay.