Chinese word

劳动

Pronunciation

Pinyinláo dòng

Meaning

  • nounlabor

Example

我们要尊重劳动。wǒ men yào zūn zhòng láo dòng

We should respect labor.

Illustration for 劳动 (labor)

More examples

公司与员工签订了劳动合同。gōng sī yǔ yuán gōng qiān dìng le láo dòng hé tóng

The company and an employee signed a labor contract.

Core concept

Physical or mental effort put into action to accomplish useful work, whether paid or unpaid.

Common phrases

  • 劳动合同láo dòng hé tóng

    labor contract

  • 签订劳动合同qiān dìng láo dòng hé tóng

    sign a labor contract

  • 劳动法láo dòng fǎ

    labor law

Similar words

工作gōng zuò: A specific task or set of duties carried out in daily life or at a workplace.
职业zhí yè: A job or type of work pursued over time as a livelihood or area of expertise.
岗位gǎng wèi: A position at a workplace with assigned duties and responsibilities.
劳动者láo dòng zhě: A person who performs labor, especially in social security or employment law contexts.

Definition in Chinese

通过付出体力或脑力完成的、有报酬或无报酬的工作行为或社会性活动。tōng guò fù chū tǐ lì huò nǎo lì wán chéng de yǒu bào chóu huò wú bào chóu de gōng zuò xíng wéi huò shè huì xìng huó dòng

Word origin

劳动 (láodòng, "labor") combines 劳 (láo, "toil") and 动 (dòng, "move"), presenting effort as activity put into motion.

Usage tips

  • This noun fits formal discussions of work as a social activity better than casual comments about a single task or shift.

Other meanings

  • workverb
  • jobnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 劳动合同láo dòng hé tónglabor contractnoun
  • 劳动法láo dòng fǎlabor lawnoun

Word lists with this word