你靠什么谋生？ Nǐ kào shén me móu shēng? What do you do for a living? Talking about Jobs, Professions, and Working in Chinese

In this post you’ll learn how to talk about jobs, professions, and working in Chinese. First you’ll learn how to ask someone what their job is. Next you’ll learn how to say what you do for a living with Chinese vocabulary for many common jobs. Finally you’ll learn how to talk about where you work, or whether you’re retired or looking for a job.

If you want to ask what kind of work someone does, you can ask one of the following questions. Two important verbs to know are 做 zuò (to do) and 工作 gōng zuò (to work).

• 你的职业是什么？
  Nǐ de zhí yè shì shén me?
  What’s your profession?
• 你靠什么谋生？
  Nǐ kào shén me móu shēng?
  What do you do for a living?
• 你有工作吗？
  Nǐ yǒu gōng zuò ma?
  Do you have a job?
• 你在哪里工作？
  Nǐ zài nǎ lǐ gōng zuò?
  Where do you work?

Common Jobs and Professions in Chinese

Now let’s learn how to say common jobs and professions in Chinese. To talk about your job, use the verb 是 shì  (to be).

• 我是老师。
  Wǒ shì lǎo shī.
  I’m a teacher.
• 我是学生。
  Wǒ shì xué sheng.
  I’m a student.
• 我是护士。
  Wǒ shì hù shi.
  I’m a nurse.
• 我是医生。
  Wǒ shì yì shēng.
  I’m a doctor.
• 我是牙医。
  Wǒ shì yáyī.
  I’m a dentist.
• 我是警察。
  Wǒ shì jǐng chá.
  I’m a police officer.
• 我是消防员。
  Wǒ shì xiāo fáng yuán.
  I’m a fireman.
• 我是销售员。
  Wǒ shì xiāo shòu yuán.
  I’m a salesperson.
• 我是服务员。
  Wǒ shì fú wù yuán.
  I’m a server. (waiter/waitress)
• 我是调酒师。
  Wǒ shì tiáo jiǔ shī.
  I’m a bartender.
• 我是厨师。
  Wǒ shì chú shī.
  I’m a cook.
• 我是演员。
  Wǒ shì yǎn yuán.
  I’m an actor.
• 我是服务员。
  Wǒ shì fú wù yuán.
  I’m a writer.
• 我是记者。
  Wǒ shì jì zhě.
  I’m a journalist.
• 我是画家。
  Wǒ shì huà jiā.
  I’m an artist.
• 我是歌手。
  Wǒ shì gē shǒu.
  I’m a singer.
• 我是舞蹈演员。
  Wǒ shì wǔ dǎo yǎn yuán.
  I’m a dancer.

More Jobs and Professions in Chinese

• 我是建筑工人。
  Wǒ shì jiàn zhù gōng rén.
  I’m a construction worker.
• 我是水管工。
  Wǒ shì shuǐ guǎn gōng.
  I’m a plumber.
• 我是电工。
  Wǒ shì diàn gōng.
  I’m an electrician.
• 我是工程师。
  Wǒ shì gōng chéng shī.
  I’m an engineer.
• 我是木匠。
  Wǒ shì mù jiàng.
  I’m a carpenter.
• 我是律师。
  Wǒ shì lǜ shī.
  I’m a lawyer.
• 我是建筑师。
  Wǒ shì jiàn zhù shī.
  I’m an architect.
• 我是网页设计师。
  Wǒ shì wǎng yè shè jì shī.
  I’m a web designer.
• 我是秘书。
  Wǒ shì mì shū.
  I’m a secretary.
• 我是精神科医生。
  Wǒ shì jīng shén kē yī shēng.
  I’m a psychiatrist.
• 我是心理医生。
  Wǒ shì xīn lǐ yī shēng.
  I’m a psychologist.
• 我是一名社会工作者。
  Wǒ shì yī míng shè huì gōng zuò zhě.
  I’m a social worker.
• 我是瑜伽教练。
  Wǒ shì yú jiā jiào liàn.
  I’m a yoga instructor.
• 我是收银员。
  Wǒ shì shōu yín yuán.
  I’m a cashier.
• 我是邮递员。
  Wǒ shì yóu dì yuán.
  I’m a postal worker.
• 我是一名主管。
  Wǒ shì yī míng zhǔ guǎn.
  I’m an office supervisor.
• 我是公务员。
  Wǒ shì gōng wù yuán.
  I’m a civil servant.

Talking about Companies and Working in Chinese

Finally, here are a few other expressions you can use to describe where, or whether, you work.

• 我在写字楼里工作。
  Wǒ zài xiě zì lóu lǐ gōng zuò.
  I work in an office.
• 我在一家大/小公司工作。
  Wǒ zài yī jiā dà / xiǎo gōng sī gōng zuò.
  I work for a big/small company.
• 我有一份全职/兼职工作。
  Wǒ yǒu yī fèn quán zhí / jiān zhí gōng zuò.
  I have a full time/part-time job.
• 我在家工作。
  Wǒ zài jiā gōng zuò.
  I work at home.
• 我有自己的生意。
  Wǒ yǒu zì jǐ de shēng yì.
  I have my own business.
• 我有工作。
  Wǒ yǒu gōng zuò.
  I have a job.
• 我没有工作。
  Wǒ méi yǒu gōng zuò.
  I don’t have a job.
• 我在找工作。
  Wǒ zài zhǎo gōng zuò.
  I’m looking for a job.
• 我退休了。
  Wǒ tuì xiū le.
  I’m retired.
• 我失业了。
  Wǒ shī yè le.
  I’m on unemployment.  

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to talk about jobs, professions, and working in Chinese. Now you know how to talk about work, and you’ve learned Chinese vocabulary for many common jobs and professions. If you’d like to learn more, check out our other posts on Chinese language, culture, and more. And if you’re looking for convenient and affordable live Chinese lessons with a real teacher, check out The Language Garage. Our lessons are given online in a virtual classroom, so it doesn’t matter where you live or work – we can come to you. And we have flexible options, with a free trial so that you can decide if there’s a fit. Check us out!

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