服务员

服务员 (fúwùyuán) means 'service person' — the standard term for a waiter, waitress, hotel front-desk attendant, shop assistant, or any staff member whose job is to serve customers. Built from 服务 ('service') + 员 ('member / staff'), it's gender-neutral, age-neutral, and used for the entire service industry. Unlike English, where 'waiter' is a specific job title and you'd never shout it across a restaurant, 服务员 is also a vocative — calling out 服务员！ to flag down restaurant staff is the normal, expected way to get attention in mainland China. There's no Chinese equivalent of awkwardly raising your hand. In more upscale contexts or when you want to be more polite, you can use 美女 (lit. 'beauty,' for a female server) or 帅哥 ('handsome,' for male) — but 服务员 is always safe. Compare with 老板 (lǎobǎn, 'boss / shop owner'), used for the proprietor.

Note: 服务员 is the standard way to call any service-staff member — waiter, hotel attendant, shop clerk. Calling out 服务员！ in a restaurant is normal and not rude; Chinese restaurant culture expects you to flag staff verbally rather than wait silently.

Memory hook: 服务 (service) + 员 (member) = service-staff member.