上班 shàngbān — to go to work, to be at work

Meanings

1. 1

   to go to work, to be at work

   To go to or be at work. It is a verb plus its own object, so the workplace is marked with 在 before it: 在公司上班, never 上班公司.

   verb

Character breakdown

• 上

  shàng (fourth tone, falling)

  above, upper, on top of; to go up, to get on, to attend; last, previous (上个月)

  3 strokesRadical 一

Example sentences

• 爸爸每天八点去上班。/爸爸每天八點去上班。Bàba (fourth tone, falling) měi (third tone, dipping) tiān (first tone, high and level) bā (first tone, high and level) diǎn (third tone, dipping) qù (fourth tone, falling) shàngbān. (fourth tone, falling)···

  Dad leaves for work at eight every day.

• 我在一家公司上班。Wǒ (third tone, dipping) zài (fourth tone, falling) yì (fourth tone, falling) jiā (first tone, high and level) gōngsī (first tone, high and level) shàngbān. (fourth tone, falling)···

  I work at a company.

Common mistakes

• Not quite我上班公司。

  Correct我在公司上班。

  上班 already contains its object 班, so a place cannot follow it. The workplace goes in front, introduced by 在.

Similar words

Words containing 上

• 上shàng (fourth tone, falling)on, on top of, above
• 身上shēn (first tone, high and level) shang (neutral tone)on the body
• 晚上wǎnshang (third tone, dipping)evening, night
• 早上zǎoshang (third tone, dipping)early morning
• 马上/馬上mǎshàng (third tone, dipping)at once, right away, immediately
• 实际上/實際上shí (second tone, rising) jì (fourth tone, falling) shàng (fourth tone, falling)in fact
• 上面shàng (fourth tone, falling) miàn (fourth tone, falling)on top of
• 事实上/事實上shì (fourth tone, falling) shí (second tone, rising) shàng (fourth tone, falling)in fact
• 路上lù (fourth tone, falling) shang (neutral tone)on the road
• 加上jiā (first tone, high and level) shàng (fourth tone, falling)plus
• 上午shàngwǔ (fourth tone, falling)morning (before noon)
• 车上/車上chē (first tone, high and level) shàng (fourth tone, falling)Car
• 以上yǐ (third tone, dipping) shàng (fourth tone, falling)that level or higher
• 上去shàng (fourth tone, falling) qù (fourth tone, falling)to go up
• 地上dì (fourth tone, falling) shang (neutral tone)on the ground
• 上网/上網shàngwǎng (fourth tone, falling)to go online, to use the internet
• 上周shàng (fourth tone, falling) zhōu (first tone, high and level)last week