上班
to go to work; be at work
shàngbān
What does 上班 mean?
上班 (shàngbān) means 'to go to work' or, in continuous contexts, 'to be at work.' It is a verb-object compound: 上 ('to go up / start on') + 班 ('shift / class / work session'), literally 'mount the shift.' The 班 in 上班 refers to a work shift, not a school class — schools use 上课 (shàngkè, 'attend class') for the equivalent action. Because 班 is the object of 上, you cannot add another object directly: say 我在公司上班 ('I work at the company'), never 上班公司.
To talk about commuting, pair it with verbs of motion: 去上班 ('head to work'), 在路上 ('on the way')
Character breakdown
to go up; to start on; up
shift; work session; class
Memory hook: 上 (start on) + 班 (shift) = clock in for your shift — go to work.
Example sentences
我每天八点上班。
Wǒ měi tiān bā diǎn shàngbān.
I start work at eight every day.
neutral
你妈妈在哪儿上班？
Nǐ māma zài nǎr shàngbān?
Where does your mom work?
spoken
今天我不去上班。
Jīntiān wǒ bú qù shàngbān.
I'm not going to work today.
spoken
他上班的时候不能玩手机。
Tā shàngbān de shíhou bù néng wán shǒujī.
He can't play with his phone while he's at work.
neutral
Common phrases with 上班
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上班 appears in 2 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
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