noun HSK 3
Traditional 工資
wage · salary · pay
Meaning
工资 refers to the money paid by an employer to an employee for their work, typically on a regular basis (monthly or weekly). It's the standard, neutral term for wages or salary in Chinese and is used in both formal and informal contexts.
Usage
工资 is used for regular employment compensation. It commonly appears with verbs like 发 (fā, to pay out), 拿 (ná, to receive), 涨 (zhǎng, to increase), and 扣 (kòu, to deduct). When discussing salary amounts, Chinese speakers often use monthly figures rather than annual.
Examples
- 01公司每个月15号发工资。.The company pays salaries on the 15th of each month.
- 02他的工资比去年涨了百分之十。.His salary increased by ten percent compared to last year.
Characters
Common collocations
- 发工资to pay wages/salary
- 涨工资to get a raise
- 扣工资to deduct from wages
- 基本工资base salary
Antonyms
Origin
The term combines 工 (work/labor) and 资 (resources/capital), literally meaning 'work resources' or 'labor compensation.' This compound emerged in modern Chinese to translate the Western concept of wages.