工资

gōng zī

wages; pay

HSK 4

Character Breakdown

Understanding 工资 (gōngzī)

工资 refers to the wages or salary paid to someone for their labor or work. It is a common term used in workplaces and everyday conversations about employment and income.

Usage and Context

工资 is typically used to talk about regular pay, monthly salary, or wages earned from a job. It can also refer to additional payments like bonuses or overtime pay when specified.

Common Collocations

  • 工资 (gōngzī fāfàng): wage payment, usually referring to the act of paying salaries on time.
  • 工资 (zhǎng gōngzī): to raise wages, often used when companies increase employee pay.
  • 额外工资 (éwài gōngzī): extra wages, such as overtime pay.

Nuances

When using 工资, speakers often imply a formal or official payment related to employment. It is more formal than 薪水 (xīnshuǐ), which also means salary but can be more casual or colloquial.

Common Confusion

Avoid confusing 工资 with (gōngqián), which can also mean wages but is more colloquial and sometimes refers to daily or piecework pay rather than monthly salary.

Example Sentences

他的工资每个月按时发放。

Tā de gōngzī měi gè yuè ànshí fāfàng.

His wages are paid on time every month.

公司决定给员工涨工资以激励他们的工作积极性。

Gōngsī juédìng gěi yuángōng zhǎng gōngzī yǐ jīlì tāmen de gōngzuò jījíxìng.

The company decided to raise employees' wages to motivate their work

他因为加班得到了额外的工资。

Tā yīnwèi jiābān dédàole éwài de gōngzī.

He received extra pay because of overtime work.