Salary & Pay in Chinese 工资
gōngzī
Salary in Chinese is 工资 (gōng zī).
Also searched for as: salary, wage, bonus, pay.
What do you earn? 15 essential pay & money at work 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.
The everyday word for salary in Chinese is 工资 (gōng zī), and it's what most people mean when they talk about pay. Beyond that, this list gives you 奖金 (jiǎng jīn) for a bonus, 加薪 (jiā xīn) for a pay rise and 福利 (fú lì) for benefits, so you can talk about earnings, savings and the perks that come with a job.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 工资 | gōng zī | salary |
| 钱 | qián | money |
| 奖金 | jiǎng jīn | bonus |
| 加薪 | jiā xīn | pay rise |
| 税 | shuì | tax |
| 收入 | shōu rù | income |
| 银行 | yín háng | bank |
| 存钱 | cún qián | to save money |
| 花钱 | huā qián | to spend money |
| 福利 | fú lì | benefits |
| 保险 | bǎo xiǎn | insurance |
| 养老金 | yǎng lǎo jīn | pension |
| 发工资 | fā gōng zī | to pay wages |
| 月薪 | yuè xīn | monthly salary |
| 年薪 | nián xīn | annual salary |
Usage tips
- A year-end bonus is 年终奖 (nián zhōng jiǎng). In everyday speech, getting a pay rise is often 涨工资 (zhǎng gōng zī), while 加薪 (jiā xīn) sounds a little more formal.
- In speech, amounts of money use 块 (kuài) rather than the written 元 (yuán): 月薪八千块 (yuè xīn bā qiān kuài) is eight thousand a month.
- On mainland job adverts you'll often see 五险一金 (wǔ xiǎn yī jīn), the standard package of five social insurances plus a housing fund that employers contribute to.
Common mistakes
- Using 存钱 to mean spending less → 存钱 (cún qián) is putting money aside, for example in the bank; cutting costs is 省钱 (shěng qián), as in 这样可以省钱.
- Adding 的 in phrases like 很多的钱 → it's more natural without it: 很多钱 (hěn duō qián).
Mini dialogue
- A你们公司的福利怎么样？Nǐ men gōng sī de fú lì zěn me yàng?What are the benefits like at your company?
- B还不错，有保险，年底还有奖金。Hái bù cuò, yǒu bǎo xiǎn, nián dǐ hái yǒu jiǎng jīn.Not bad. There's insurance, and a bonus at the end of the year.
- A真好！我们公司的工资不高，我想跟老板谈谈加薪。Zhēn hǎo! Wǒ men gōng sī de gōng zī bù gāo, wǒ xiǎng gēn lǎo bǎn tán tan jiā xīn.Lucky you! The pay at my company isn't great. I want to talk to my boss about a pay rise.
- B祝你成功！加薪以后请我吃饭啊。Zhù nǐ chéng gōng! Jiā xīn yǐ hòu qǐng wǒ chī fàn a.Good luck! Once you get it, dinner's on you.
Example sentences
- 这个月的工资还没到。This month's salary hasn't come in yet.
- 我这个月花了很多钱。I spent a lot of money this month.
- 年底大家都有奖金。Everyone gets a bonus at the end of the year.
- 我想跟老板谈谈加薪的事。I want to talk to my boss about a pay rise.
- 工资越高，交的税越多。The higher your salary, the more tax you pay.
- 他的收入比去年高了。His income is higher than last year.
- 我午饭后要去一趟银行。I need to pop to the bank after lunch.
- 她每个月都存钱。She saves money every month.
- 他花钱太快了。He spends money too quickly.
- 这家公司的福利很好。This company has very good benefits.
- 公司给员工买了保险。The company provides insurance for its staff.
- 我爷爷每个月都有养老金。My grandad gets a pension every month.
- 我们公司每月十号发工资。Our company pays wages on the tenth of every month.
- 他的月薪是八千块。His monthly salary is eight thousand yuan.
- 这个职位的年薪不错。The annual salary for this post is good.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Pay & money at work speaking island has 8 everyday questions about pay & money at work to prepare your own answers to.