Chinese word

勤工俭学

Pronunciation

Pinyinqín gōng jiǎn xué

Meaning

nounwork-study

Example

他在学校做勤工俭学来补贴生活费。tā zài xué xiào zuò qín gōng jiǎn xué lái bǔ tiē shēng huó fèi

He does work-study at school to help cover his living expenses.

More examples

她通过勤工俭学挣学费，也积累了实践经验。tā tōng guò qín gōng jiǎn xué zhēng xué fèi yě jī lěi le shí jiàn jīng yàn

Through work-study, she earns her tuition and gains practical experience as well.

Core concept

A student keeps studying by combining earned income with careful spending.

Common phrases

勤工俭学项目qín gōng jiǎn xué xiàng mù
work-study program
勤工俭学学生qín gōng jiǎn xué xué shēng
work-study student
勤工俭学制度qín gōng jiǎn xué zhì dù
work-study system

Similar words

打工dǎ gōng: Employment done in return for wages.
兼职jiān zhí: Additional part-time work done beside a main job or course of study.
实习shí xí: A period of practical work that helps a learner gain experience in a chosen field.
助学金zhù xué jīn: Financial support given for a student's school fees and living expenses.

Definition in Chinese

学生在读书期间靠做工赚取收入并节省开支，以支持学业和生活的行为或状态。xué shēng zài dú shū qī jiān kào zuò gōng zhuàn qǔ shōu rù bìng jié shěng kāi zhī yǐ zhī chí xué yè hé shēng huó de xíng wéi huò zhuàng tài

Word origin

勤工俭学 (qíngōngjiǎnxué, "work-study") is built from 勤 (qín, "diligent") + 工 (gōng, "work") + 俭 (jiǎn, "thrifty") + 学 (xué, "study"), pairing labor and thrift with continued study.

Usage tips

As a noun, it usually names the whole student arrangement rather than one job, so it suits conversations about education, money, and student life.

Opposites

全日制教育quán rì zhì jiào yùfull-time educationnoun
脱产学习tuō chǎn xué xífull-time studynoun