Chinese word

工人

Pronunciation

Pinyingōng rén

Meaning

  • nounworker

Example

我们雇了几个工人修理房子。wǒ men gù le jǐ gè gōng rén xiū lǐ fáng zi

We hired several workers to repair the house.

Illustration for 工人 (worker)

More examples

我看到工人在街上。wǒ kàn dào gōng rén zài jiē shàng

I saw a worker on the street.

Core concept

A person who uses hands or tools to make, build, or repair things.

Common phrases

  • 这些工人zhè xiē gōng rén

    these workers

  • 看到工人kàn dào gōng rén

    see workers

  • 跟工人一起gēn gōng rén yì qǐ

    together with workers

Similar words

劳动者láo dòng zhě: A person who performs work and contributes labor, including people in many kinds of jobs.
员工yuán gōng: A person hired by a company, shop, or other organization to work for it.
职员zhí yuán: An employee who does office, clerical, or administrative work for a company or public agency.

Definition in Chinese

指从事体力或手工劳动、在工厂或施工现场等生产第一线工作的人员。zhǐ cóng shì tǐ lì huò shǒu gōng láo dòng zài gōng chǎng huò shī gōng xiàn chǎng děng shēng chǎn dì yí xiàn gōng zuò de rén yuán

Word origin

The compound 工 (gōng, "work") + 人 (rén, "person") describes a person who does work with the hands or tools.

Usage tips

  • English worker can include an office employee or a nurse, but 工人 (gōngrén, "worker") usually refers to someone doing practical work in places such as factories or building sites.

Opposites

Word lists with this word