Comparing "gongzuo" and "shangban"

Both 工作 (gōngzuò) and 上班 (shàngbān) can be verbs related to doing one's job. Both are used in formal and informal contexts. The difference is that 上班 means "to go to work" during one's normal work hours, whereas 工作 means "to work" in a less specific sense, and it can also be a noun.

B1HSK3ASV4227

	工作 (gōngzuò)	上班 (shàngbān)
Meaning	to work; a job	to go to work
Part of Speech	verb, noun	verb
Formality	flexible	flexible

:Yes

For "go to work" both 工作 and 上班 are roughly interchangeable

Both words can be used to talk about the routine act of slaving away at one's job.

Set Phrases

• 在家 工作 / 在家 上班gōngzuòwork from home

Example Sentences

• 你 在 哪里 工作？ Nǐ zài nǎlǐ gōngzuò ?Where are you working?
• 我 今天 不 用 上班。 Wǒ jīntiān bù yòng shàngbān .I don't have to work today.
• 因为 假期 调休，这个 星期 我 需要 上班 六 天。 Yīnwèi jiàqī tiáoxiū, zhège xīngqī wǒ xūyào shàngbān liù tiān.I have to work six days this week because of the holiday transfer.
• 工作 的 时候 不 要 看 视频。 Gōngzuò de shíhou bù yào kàn shìpín.Don't watch videos at work.
• 你 下午 几 点 开始 工作？ Nǐ xiàwǔ jǐ diǎn kāishǐ gōngzuò?What time do you start work in the afternoon?

Use 工作 for "enter the workforce"

This usage usually refers to a young person's status changing from "student" to "employed adult."

Set Phrases

Free of context, these two phrases generally have these meanings:

• 工作 了 gōngzuò lestarted working (found a job)
• 上班 了 gōngzuò jīngyànstarted work (for the day)

Example Sentences

Although both words can be used to refer to "starting to work a full-time job," 工作 is more common. See the following examples:

• 你 儿子 去年 毕业 了 吧？工作 了 吗？ Nǐ érzi qùnián bìyè le ba? gōngzuò le ma?
• 我 已经 工作 了，过年 没有 红包 了。 Wǒ yǐjīng gōngzuò le, guònián méiyǒu hóngbāo le.
• 我 现在 上班 了，我 可以 自己 挣钱 了。 Wǒ xiànzài shàngbān le, wǒ kěyǐ zìjǐ zhèngqián le.I'm working now, so I can earn my own money.

工作 is more general in usage and can also be a noun

In addition to meaning just "work" or "a job" in general, 工作 as a verb can mean "to find a job and start working," as in the case of a student that has graduated and entered the workforce.

Set Phrases

• 工作 经验 gōngzuò jīngyànwork experience
• 工作 签证 gōngzuò qiānzhèngwork visa
• 工作 压力 gōngzuò yālìwork pressure
• 工作 环境 gōngzuò huánjìngwork environment

Example Sentences

• 你 的 工作 是 什么？ Nǐ de gōngzuò shì shénme?What is your job?
• 我 正在 申请 我 的 工作 签证 。 Wǒ zhèngzài shēnqǐng wǒ de gōngzuò qiānzhèng.I am applying for my work visa.
• 我 觉得 在 家 工作 更 有效 。 Wǒ juéde zài jiā gōngzuò gèng yǒuxiào.I think it is more effective to work at home.
• 这个 星期 我 有 很 多 工作 。 Zhège xīngqī wǒ yǒu hěn duō gōngzuò .I have a lot of work this week.
• 我 有 很 丰富 的 工作 经验 。 Wǒ yǒu hěn fēngfù de gōngzuò jīngyàn.I have a lot of work experience.

上班 more specifically refers to "going to work"

上班 usually means physically commuting to work, working set hours, and possibly clocking in. Nowadays with all of the work from home, 上班 can sometimes be used for that form of virtual work as well.

Set Phrases

• 上班 时间 shàngbān shíjiānwork hours
• 上班 高峰 shàngbān gāofēngcommute peak

Example Sentences

• 我 每 天 走路 去 上班 。 Wǒ měi tiān zǒulù qù shàngbān .I walk to work every day.
• 我 每 天 九 点 半 上班。 Wǒ měi tiān jiǔ diǎn bàn shàngbān .I go to work at 9:30 every day.
• 今天 老板 没有 来 上班 。 Jīntiān lǎobǎn méiyǒu lái shàngbān .Today, my boss didn't come to work.
• 现在 应该 是 上班 高峰 时间 ， 但是 地铁 里 没有 人 。 Xiànzài yīnggāi shì shàngbān gāofēng shíjiān, dànshì dìtiě lǐ méiyǒu rén.It's supposed to be rush hour, but there's no one on the subway.

上班 is a separable verb

Because it's a separable verb, you'll sometimes see the two characters of 上班 separate. This cannot be done with 工作.

• 我 每 个 星期 上 四 天 班。 Wǒ měi gè xīngqī shàng sì tiān bān .I work four days a week.
• 自从 我 上 了 班，我 变得 很 忙。 Zìcóng wǒ shàng le bān , wǒ biànde hěn máng.Since I started working, I've become very busy.
• 我 不 喜欢 这 家 公司，所以 我 上 了 三 天 班 我 就 辞职 了。 Wǒ bù xǐhuan zhè jiā gōngsī, suǒyǐ wǒ shàng le sān tiān bān wǒ jiù cízhí le.I didn't like the company, so I quit after three days of work.

Sources and further reading

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