同事 tóngshì colleague
colleague; co-worker
How to remember 同事: 同 same + 事 matter = colleague.
Characters
How it is used
- A colleague/coworker - 我的同事 (wǒ de tóngshì), same workplace regardless of rank.
- Distinct from 同学 (tóngxué, classmate) and 同行 (tóngháng, someone in the same profession/industry).
- Can be a verb-ish origin (同 same + 事 work) but functions purely as a noun.
- 老同事 (lǎo tóngshì) = a longtime colleague.
Example sentences
- 同事们在讨论方案。 Tóngshìmen zài tǎolùn fāng'àn.The colleagues are discussing a project.
- 我确实喜欢我的同事。 Wǒ quèshí xǐhuān wǒ de tóngshì.I really like my coworkers.
- 我同事的普通话说得很好。 Wǒ tóngshìde pǔtōnghuà shuōde hěn hǎo.My coworker speaks Mandarin really well.