上班
shàng bān HSK 2

English Meaning

Categories

📚 Example Sentences

爸爸去上班。
Bàba qù shàngbān.
Dad goes to work.
我八点上班。
Wǒ bā diǎn shàngbān.
I start work at eight o'clock.
她今天上班。
Tā jīntiān shàngbān.
She goes to work today.
她九点开始上班。
Tā jiǔ diǎn kāishǐ shàngbān.
She starts work at nine o'clock.
我每天早上乘公交上班。
Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang chéng gōngjiāo shàngbān.
I go to work by bus every morning.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of 上 as 'up' or 'to go up' and 班 as 'class' or 'shift'—imagine 'going up to your shift' at work. Associate it with morning routines, like getting 'up' for your '班' (work shift).

📝 Usage Notes

This word is neutral in tone and used in both formal and informal contexts, as well as in spoken and written Chinese. It is commonly used in daily conversations about work schedules, routines, or employment, such as discussing start times, commutes, or work-related activities.

📖 Grammar Points

上班 is often used as a verb-object structure where 上 means 'to go to' and 班 means 'shift' or 'duty.' It can be modified by time words (e.g., 几点上班) or combined with other verbs (e.g., 去上班). It is not typically used with an object directly; instead, phrases like 在...上班 indicate the workplace.

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, 上班 often reflects traditional work routines with fixed hours and commutes, though it is evolving with modern flexible arrangements. It carries a sense of routine and responsibility, and punctuality (e.g., 准时上班) is generally valued in professional settings.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 工作 (gōngzuò), which broadly means 'to work' or 'job,' 上班 emphasizes the act of going to or being at a workplace. 工作 can refer to work in general, including remote or non-location-specific tasks, while 上班 implies a physical commute or presence.

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