Bad news: I somehow managed to lose my only pair of glasses. It might have been nicked while I was sleeping in the bus – but who in the world steals spectacles? Anyway, today you can indulge in a list of job-related expressions. If you should happen find a pair of horn-rimmed glasses with a green frame, give me a shout.
There are a number of professions that can also serve as terms for addressing people, so instead of calling someone Mrs. Li or Mr. Wu, you could (and should, if you know their (current or former) job, because it’s more respectful) call them Teacher Li and Medical Doctor Wu. Those marked with an asterisk can be used this way. The application of the others is limited to describing a certain profession.
This time, I will try a different format: Give you the characters first and then a list of compounds. Some of the hanzi should be familiar from previous posts, I will only list their pronunciation, let’s see whether you can still remember the translations. If your job title was not amongst the expressions introduced today, leave a comment or send a mail.
学
xue2
LEARN, STUDY, -OLOGY, KNOWLEDGE. The childhood is devoted to learning – about the world and at school. The latter is represented here, a child 子 below a roof (with three chimneys, so it’s a big building – a school) Notice the similarity to 字 (zi4, character, letter) – indeed, Chinese kids spend most of their elementary school years practicing the characters, but this time at home (only one chimney), under the supervision of their strict parents. Ah, the memories… sore hands (and sore buttocks in some cases) and a head swimming with strokes and nightmares involving pink birds skilled in martial arts singing the Beijing Opera – a weird blend of television shows and popular themes of poems, which every Chinese kid has to memorize.
生
sheng1
BORN. A weed with a leaf sprouting from the side.
老
lao3
师
shi1
MASTER; SPECIALIST; TEACHER. The 帀 standard-bearer in an army (represented by the sword 刂, granted, even in China we have switched to guns) has a special, honourable duty. A master in his/her field of expertise carries the torch of wisdom.
教
jiao1/jiao4
授
shou4
GIVE; TRANSMIT; CONFER. One gives using the hands 手 (shou3), the other one receives 受 (shou4).
医
yi1
CURE; DOCTOR; MEDICINE. Someone who has taken an (Hippocratic) oath 矢 (shi3) working in a designated place (a hospital) who practices MEDICINE and tries 矢(represents an arrow) to CURE patients.
博
bo2
AMPLE, LEARNED; GAIN. You put in a certain amount of effort (十 ten) and hope the result will be greater 甫 (fu3, great) by at least a small margin 寸.
士
shi4
员
yuan2
MEMBER. In order to join an organization 囗 (wei2, represents the “confinements”), you usually have to pay a small fee 贝 (bei4, money)
工
gong1
科
ke1
家
jia1
FAMILY. In former times, domestic animals like pigs 豕 would live with the families (below stilt houses or even in adjacent pens)
记
ji4
RECORD; REMEMBER. The speak 讠 radical hints at the meaning. The 己 could be a brain convulsion.
者
zhe3
农
nong2
AGRICULTURE; FARMING. Could represent a harvesting machine, or a man with a plow.
民
min2
PEOPLE, CIVILIAN, PUBLIC. According to an etymological dictionary, this character is the picture of “The vagina of a woman from which people come”, which is a bit weird, especially seeing as this character is part of the official name of China as well as its currency. Being a biology teacher, the only remotely helpful mnemonic I can think of association “pubic” (stemming from the etymology) with “public”. Lame, I know.
业
ye4
BUSINESS; OCCUPATION; STUDY. Looks like a stack of boo
主
zhu3
电
dian4
ELECTRICAL; ELECTRICITY. Benjamin Franklin’s notorious kite, or a lightning rod.
小
xiao3
贩
fan4
TRADE; BUY AND SELL. Handing over goods in exchange 反 (“anti”, fan3) for money 贝.
傅
fu4
TEACH. ADD TO; ATTACH. A person 亻who strives for greatness 甫 (fu3, begin, great, father).
大
da4/dai4
夫
fu1
警
jing1
GUARD; WARN; AGILE. A well-respected person 敬 (jing4, honour, respect, salute) whose duty it is to guard people and make them aware (言 yan2 speak) of dangers .
察
cha3
SCRUTINISE, OBSERVE; EXAMINE.
秘
mi4
ABSTRUSE, SECRET. Grains and a crossed out heart are a really abstruse combination. Some things are so secret that divulging them would cause heartburn.
书
shu1
BOOK, DOCUMENT. A stack of files or books.
经
jing1
MANAGE, ARRANGE, REGULATE. The activity of making sure all the work 工 runs as smoothly as silk 纟(si1) over a long 久 (jiu3, long time) period of time.
理
li3
LAW; TRUTH, REASON, THEORY; RIGHT, DOCTRINE; SCIENCE. A king’s 王 decision should be based on these principles, righteousness and lawfulness should be found within 里 (li3, inside) every branch of the government.
Now, the compounds. Try to find a good mnemonic on you own, using the literal translations or the information provided.
学生
xue2sheng
STUDENT.
老师 *
lao3shi
TEACHER.
教授 *
jiao4shou4
PROFESSOR.
医生 *
yi1sheng1
DOCTOR (medicine)
博士 *
bo2shi4
Ph.D.
员工
yuan2gong1
EMPLOYEE.
科学家
ke1xue2jia1
SCIENTIST.
记者
ji4zhe3
JOURNALIST.
农民
nong2min2
FARMER.
业主
ye4zhu3
BUSINESS OWNER.
电工
dian4gong1
ELECTRICIAN.
小贩
xiao3fan4
STREET VENDOR
师傅 *
shi1fu
“MASTER”, polite address for drivers or service people in general.
大夫 *
dai4fu
DOCTOR (medicine)
警察 *
jing1cha3
POLICE OFFICER.
秘书 *
mi4shu1
SECRETARY. (not applicable for terms like “party secretary” or “secretary of state”!)
经理 *
jing1li3
MANAGER.
