打工人

dǎgōngrén

noun

Meanings

1 worker (self-deprecating)
2 wage earner
3 working stiff

Characters

Literally 'working person' - a self-deprecating but solidarity-building label.

Examples

HSK 3

打工人的午饭就是随便吃点。

Dǎgōngrén de wǔfàn jiùshì suíbiàn chī diǎn.

A worker's lunch is just grabbing whatever.

HSK 4

早安，打工人！新的一天开始了。

Zǎo'ān, dǎgōngrén! Xīn de yī tiān kāishǐ le.

Good morning, fellow worker! A new day has begun.

HSK 7-9

打工人，打工魂，打工都是人上人！

Dǎgōngrén, dǎgōnghún, dǎgōng dōu shì rénshàngrén!

Workers, worker spirit - workers are the best of people!

Tips

culture

打工人 went viral in late 2020 as a self-deprecating identity label. Unlike the derogatory 打工仔, this term is used with ironic pride - office workers, factory workers, and even professionals all call themselves 打工人 to bond over shared struggles of working life.

usage

Often appears in motivational-ironic morning greetings shared on social media: 早安，打工人！ Used by white-collar and blue-collar workers alike.

Stroke Order

打 dǎ

工 gōng

人 rén