Office Roles (Boss, Colleague) in Chinese 办公室里的人
bàngōngshì lǐ de rén
Colleague / boss in Chinese are 同事 / 老板 (tóng shì / lǎo bǎn).
Also searched for as: colleague, boss, manager, coworker.
Who do you work with? 15 essential who's in my office 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.
Knowing who's who in a Chinese office is as much about hierarchy as vocabulary. 同事 (tóng shì) covers anyone you work with, while 上司 (shàng si), 主管 (zhǔ guǎn) and 总经理 (zǒng jīng lǐ) take you up the ladder, and along the way you'll meet the 实习生 (shí xí shēng), the 前台 (qián tái) and the people in 人事 (rén shì) and 财务 (cái wù).
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 老板 | lǎo bǎn | boss |
| 经理 | jīng lǐ | manager |
| 上司 | shàng si | superior; line manager |
| 同事 | tóng shì | colleague |
| 新同事 | xīn tóng shì | new colleague |
| 秘书 | mì shū | secretary |
| 助理 | zhù lǐ | assistant |
| 实习生 | shí xí shēng | intern |
| 前台 | qián tái | receptionist; reception |
| 人事 | rén shì | HR |
| 财务 | cái wù | finance (dept or person) |
| 主管 | zhǔ guǎn | supervisor |
| 总经理 | zǒng jīng lǐ | general manager |
| 客户 | kè hù | client |
| 团队 | tuán duì | team |
Usage tips
- Senior colleagues are addressed by surname plus title, such as 王经理 (Wáng jīng lǐ) or 李总 (Lǐ zǒng), short for 总经理. Among peers, 小王 (Xiǎo Wáng) suits a younger colleague and 老张 (Lǎo Zhāng) an older one.
- 人事 and 财务 name both the department and the people in it, so 找人事 (zhǎo rén shì) simply means "go and see HR". The formal department names are 人事部 (rén shì bù) and 财务部 (cái wù bù).
- 领导 (lǐng dǎo) is the catch-all word for anyone above you, and it's very common in mainland offices when you don't want to name a specific person.
Common mistakes
- Calling your manager by their given name, as many English speakers would → use surname plus title, such as 张经理, or 王总 for a very senior boss.
- Calling your line manager 老板 in a large company → 老板 (lǎo bǎn) usually means the owner, so 领导 (lǐng dǎo), 经理 (jīng lǐ) or 上司 (shàng si) is more accurate.
Mini dialogue
- A那个新同事是谁？Nà gè xīn tóng shì shì shéi?Who's that new colleague?
- B她是王总的助理，昨天刚来的。Tā shì Wáng zǒng de zhù lǐ, zuó tiān gāng lái de.She's Mr Wang's assistant. She only started yesterday.
- A哦，我还以为她是实习生呢。Ò, wǒ hái yǐ wéi tā shì shí xí shēng ne.Oh, I thought she was an intern.
- B不是。对了，你的请假单交给人事了吗？Bù shì. Duì le, nǐ de qǐng jià dān jiāo gěi rén shì le ma?No. By the way, have you given your leave form to HR?
- A还没有，我先问问主管。Hái méi yǒu, wǒ xiān wèn wen zhǔ guǎn.Not yet, I'll check with my supervisor first.
Example sentences
- 老板今天心情不好。The boss is in a bad mood today.
- 我们经理很年轻。Our manager is very young.
- 我的上司对我很好。My line manager is good to me.
- 我和同事一起吃午饭。I have lunch with my colleagues.
- 今天来了一个新同事。A new colleague started today.
- 有事可以找秘书。You can talk to the secretary if you need anything.
- 她是总经理的助理。She's the general manager's assistant.
- 我们部门有两个实习生。Our department has two interns.
- 快递放在前台。Parcels are left at reception.
- 休假要跟人事说。Tell HR when you take leave.
- 报销找财务。See finance for expenses.
- 主管让我写报告。My supervisor asked me to write a report.
- 总经理下午开会。The general manager has a meeting this afternoon.
- 客户下午来公司。The client is coming to the office this afternoon.
- 我们团队有八个人。There are eight people in our team.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Who's in my office speaking island has 8 everyday questions about who's in my office to prepare your own answers to.