事 shì — matter; thing; item; work; affair
我有一件事想问你。Wǒ yǒu yí jiàn shì xiǎng wèn nǐ.I have something to ask you.
Common words: 没事儿 (méi shì r)、事情 (shì qing)、故事 (gù shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "work"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "work", including 事 (shì), 工 (gōng), 活 (huó). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "work" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 事 (shì), 工 (gōng), 活 (huó) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shì, gōng, huó — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 事 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 事 shìmatter; thing; item; work; affairUseful words: 没事儿, 事情
- 工 gōngwork; worker; skill; profession; trade; craftUseful words: 工作, 工人
- 活 huóto live; alive; living; work; workmanshipUseful words: 生活, 活动
Common words for these 3 "work" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 事 (shì) — so "work" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
没事儿méi shì rto have spare time; free from work; it's not important; it's nothing事情shì qingaffair; matter; thing; business故事gù shìold practice工作gōng zuòto work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work工人gōng rénworker打工dǎ gōngto work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or during vacation生活shēng huóto live; life; livelihood活动huó dòngto exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky干活儿gàn huó rcolloquial (-r) form of 干活
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "work".
工 gōng — work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft
爸爸的工作很忙。Bà ba de gōng zuò hěn máng.Dad's job is very busy.
Common words: 工作 (gōng zuò)、工人 (gōng rén)、打工 (dǎ gōng)
活 huó — to live; alive; living; work; workmanship
大家的生活越来越好。Dà jiā de shēng huó yuè lái yuè hǎo.Everyone's life is getting better and better.
Common words: 生活 (shēng huó)、活动 (huó dòng)、干活儿 (gàn huó r)
All 3 characters
Open 事、工、活 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.