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{"id":191,"date":"2014-01-16T16:31:59","date_gmt":"2014-01-16T08:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writtenchinese.com\/?p=191"},"modified":"2020-12-30T21:18:28","modified_gmt":"2020-12-30T13:18:28","slug":"chinese-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writtenchinese.com\/chinese-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Become a White Collar Baller: Chinese in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we have a post from Brandon King, who helps students and recent graduates obtain internships and entry-level positions in China with his company <\/i>SmartIntern.<\/i><\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

While running an internship company<\/a> in China and writing about career building<\/a> is something I love, I sometimes forget what attracted me to China in the first place- the language. Studying Mandarin is an exercise in patience, curiosity, and dedication, as true fluency takes years to\u00a0achieve. Sites like Written Chinese<\/a> are excellent sources of information and language hacks, but if you really want to accelerate the language learning process, combining online resources with in-country experience is the way to go. With that in mind, I want to take you through a day in the life of a white-collar office worker (\u767d\u9886, b\u00e1i l\u01d0ng ) in China and introduce you to some common day-to-day workplace vocabulary to help you become a White Collar Baller.<\/p>\n

In China, the \u201cold 9-5\u201d is usually more of a 9-6, but with a 2-hour lunch break. Workdays are typically Monday through Friday, although many Chinese companies still operate on the Monday through Saturday schedule established by SOEs (State-owned enterprises) decades ago.<\/p>\n

Whether walking to the office on a Monday or a Saturday, the first order of business for most westerners\uff08\u6d0b\u4eba, y\u00e1ng r\u00e9n\uff09 is going to be getting some coffee (\u5496\u5561, k\u0101 f\u0113i). If you are working in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 city in China, you\u2019ll be able to find a Starbucks (\u661f\u5df4\u514b,<\/b> x\u012bng b\u0101 k\u00e8) somewhere in the city.<\/p>\n

The pace of work in your office will depend largely on whether the boss (\u8001\u677f,<\/b> l\u01ceo b\u01cen) is present. If he or she is, expect a lot of furious typing and feigned work, but if they aren\u2019t, you may find that some of your less intrinsically motivated colleagues use QQ, a popular chat application, to chat (\u804a\u5929, li\u00e1o ti\u0101n) with friends. Around 12 PM, it\u2019s time for lunch.<\/p>\n

For lunch, you\u2019ll need to find a restaurant that can deliver food (\u9001\u996d, s\u00f2ng f\u00e0n). Thankfully, most restaurants in China have a small army of\u00a0deliverymen\u00a0who can bring you whatever you desire via electric bike. In most office environments, lunch will be a boxed lunch (\u76d2\u996d, h\u00e9 f\u00e0n), a meal which consists of rice, a meat dish, and a few types of vegetables. It\u2019s not glamorous, but at 10-15 RMB a pop you can\u2019t beat it. While waiting\u00a0for your food, feel free to proclaim that you are \u201cstarving to death\u201d (\u6211\u997f\u6b7b\u4e86, w\u01d2 \u00e8 s\u01d0 le\uff09to convey to everyone in the office just how hungry you are.<\/p>\n

#protip: Don\u2019t ever bring stinky tofu (\u81ed\u8c46\u8150\uff0cch\u00f2u d\u00f2u fu) into the office. I know, I know, \u201cit tastes better than it smells\u201d, but just don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

You might follow up lunch with a nap, or a TV show on China\u2019s most popular video sharing site, Youku (\u4f18\u9177, Y\u014du k\u00f9). Eventually, it\u2019ll be time to get off work (\u4e0b\u73ed, xi\u00e0 b\u0101n) and you may be reminded by HR to swipe your time card (\u5237\u5361, shu\u0101 k\u01ce) on the way out. Unless, of course, you are working overtime (\u52a0\u73ed\uff0cji\u0101 b\u0101n- literally \u201cadd work\u201d), in which case you won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

At some point, you\u2019ll return home (\u56de\u5bb6, hu\u00ed ji\u0101), perhaps after unwinding with some beer (\u5564\u9152, p\u00ed ji\u01d4) or baijiu<\/a>\u00a0(\u767d\u9152) at a local bar or restaurant. Wherever you end up working, always remember to talk with cabbies whenever possible, ask lots of questions, and keep your ears open while at the office. Rinse and repeat and you\u2019re well on your way to becoming a White Collar Baller!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"