Commuting in Chinese 上下班
shàngxiàbān
Commute in Chinese is 上下班 (shàng xià bān).
Also searched for as: commute, going to work, rush hour.
How do you get there? 15 essential commuting words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
上下班 (shàng xià bān) means commuting, literally 'going to and leaving work', and these words cover how people get there and what slows them down. The most useful pair is 上班 (shàng bān), to go to work, and 下班 (xià bān), to finish work, while 堵车 (dǔ chē), a traffic jam, and 早高峰 (zǎo gāo fēng), the morning rush hour, are the daily complaints of city life.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 上班 | shàng bān | to go to work |
| 下班 | xià bān | to finish work |
| 路上 | lù shang | on the way |
| 走路 | zǒu lù | to walk |
| 骑车 | qí chē | to ride a bike |
| 坐车 | zuò chē | to take a vehicle |
| 堵车 | dǔ chē | traffic jam |
| 早高峰 | zǎo gāo fēng | morning rush hour |
| 晚高峰 | wǎn gāo fēng | evening rush hour |
| 迟到 | chí dào | to be late |
| 准时 | zhǔn shí | on time |
| 远 | yuǎn | far |
| 近 | jìn | near |
| 出发 | chū fā | to set off |
| 到达 | dào dá | to arrive |
Usage tips
- 上班 (shàng bān) also means 'to be at work', so 我在上班 (wǒ zài shàng bān) means you're at work right now, not on your way there.
- Transport verbs differ: you 坐 (zuò) buses, trains and the metro, but 骑 (qí) bikes and motorbikes, and 开 (kāi) a car you're driving.
- 我在路上了 (wǒ zài lù shang le), 'I'm on my way', is the standard reply when someone asks where you are, even if you've only just left.
Common mistakes
- Putting the transport after the destination, as in 我去公司坐地铁; the method comes first in Chinese, as in 我坐地铁去公司 (wǒ zuò dì tiě qù gōng sī).
- Saying 我是晚 for 'I'm late'; say 我迟到了 (wǒ chí dào le) or 我来晚了 (wǒ lái wǎn le).
Mini dialogue
- A对不起，我迟到了。今天早上堵车很厉害。Duì bù qǐ, wǒ chí dào le. Jīn tiān zǎo shang dǔ chē hěn lì hai.Sorry I'm late. The traffic was terrible this morning.
- B你怎么上班？开车吗？Nǐ zěn me shàng bān? Kāi chē ma?How do you get to work? Do you drive?
- A对，我家离公司很远。Duì, wǒ jiā lí gōng sī hěn yuǎn.Yes, my home is a long way from the office.
- B坐地铁吧，早高峰不会堵车。Zuò dì tiě ba, zǎo gāo fēng bù huì dǔ chē.Take the metro, it doesn't get stuck in rush-hour traffic.
Example sentences
- 她每天坐地铁上班。She takes the metro to work every day.
- 下班以后我们去吃饭吧。Let's go for a meal after work.
- 我在路上了，马上到。I'm on my way, I'll be there soon.
- 我家离公司很近，我走路去。My home is close to the office, so I walk.
- 天气好的时候，我骑车上班。When the weather's nice, I cycle to work.
- 从这儿坐车要半个小时。It takes half an hour by bus from here.
- 今天早上堵车很厉害。The traffic was terrible this morning.
- 早高峰的地铁人特别多。The metro is really crowded in the morning rush hour.
- 晚高峰的时候很难打车。It's hard to get a taxi during the evening rush hour.
- 对不起，我迟到了。Sorry, I'm late.
- 火车准时到了。The train arrived on time.
- 你家离学校远吗？Is your home far from school?
- 地铁站离这儿很近。The metro station is very near here.
- 我们七点出发吧。Let's set off at seven.
- 火车中午十二点到达北京。The train arrives in Beijing at twelve noon.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Commuting speaking island has 8 everyday questions about commuting to prepare your own answers to.