同事
colleague; coworker
tóngshì
What does 同事 mean?
同事 (tóngshì) is the standard noun for 'colleague' or 'coworker' — anyone you work with at the same company or organization, regardless of rank. Literally 'same-work,' it covers the full range that English splits between 'colleague' (slightly formal) and 'coworker' (casual). Unlike English, 同事 does not imply equal status: your boss and the intern are both your 同事 in a broad sense, though you'd normally call your boss 老板 / 领导 to their face.
同事 is used both in introductions ('这是我同事' — 'this is my colleague') and in third-person reference. The verb 'to be colleagues' is 是同事; 'to work together' is 一起工作. Don't confuse with 同学 ('classmate') or 朋友 ('friend') — Chinese keeps these social roles distinct more strictly than English.
Character breakdown
same; together
matter; work; affair
Memory hook: Same (同) work (事) → people doing the same work = coworkers.
Measure word for 同事
Example sentences
他是我的新同事。
Tā shì wǒ de xīn tóngshì.
He is my new colleague.
neutral
我和同事们一起吃午饭。
Wǒ hé tóngshì men yìqǐ chī wǔfàn.
I have lunch with my coworkers.
spoken
我们公司有很多年轻的同事。
Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu hěn duō niánqīng de tóngshì.
Our company has a lot of young coworkers.
neutral
她和同事关系很好。
Tā hé tóngshì guānxi hěn hǎo.
She has a good relationship with her coworkers.
neutral
Common phrases with 同事
Synonyms
同行 means 'peer in the same industry / profession' — someone in your field but not necessarily at your company. 同事 is same-company; 同行 is same-industry.
搭档 is 'partner / teammate' on a specific project. 同事 is the general workplace category; 搭档 is who you actually team up with day-to-day.
Don't confuse 同事 with
同学 is 'classmate' — someone you studied with at school. 同事 is workplace. Never mix them up; 'old classmate' is 老同学, not 老同事.
同志 historically meant 'comrade' (political address) and in modern slang also means 'gay (LGBTQ).' Do NOT use 同志 to mean coworker — it's a different register entirely.
FAQ
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