Upper-Intermediate - Job Shopping in Modern China (D1528)

A: 妈,我回来了。
mā, wǒ huílai le.
Mom, I'm back.
B: 怎么跟同事吃饭吃到这么晚?
zěnme gēn tóngshì chīfàn chī dào zhème wǎn?
Why did you stay out so late eating with your coworkers?
A: 有一个同事辞职了,我们吃了顿散伙饭。
yǒu yī ge tóngshì cízhí le, wǒmen chī le dùn sànhuǒfàn.
One of our coworkers quit so we had a farewell dinner.
B: 哦。
ò.
Oh.
A: 妈,我先回房间了,我还要准备一个面试。
mā, wǒ xiān huí fángjiān le, wǒ hái yào zhǔnbèi yī ge miànshì.
Mom, I'm going to my room. I still have to prepare for an interview.
B: 怎么,你也要跳槽?现在这家公司不是挺好的吗?怎么屁股还没坐热就又想跳了?
zěnme, nǐ yě yào tiàocáo? xiànzài zhè jiā gōngsī bùshì tǐng hǎo de ma? zěnme pìgu hái méi zuò rè jiù yòu xiǎng tiào le?
What? You want to get a new job too? Isn't the company you're at right now quite good? You've only just started and you already want to leave?
A: 我的顶头上司跟我不合,感觉她老想给我穿小鞋。我可不想在她手下受气。
wǒ de dǐngtóu shàngsī gēn wǒ bù hé, gǎnjué tā lǎo xiǎng gěi wǒ chuān xiǎoxié. wǒ kě bù xiǎng zài tā shǒuxià shòuqì.
My direct superior and I don't get along well. I feel like she always tries to make things hard for me. I really don't want to be pushed around by her.
B: 上一次你说工作没挑战性,做着没劲儿,没发展空间。你能保证再跳一家,就有挑战性,主管就能拿你当宝了?
shàng yī cì nǐ shuō gōngzuò méi tiǎozhànxìng, zuò zhe méijìnr, méi fāzhǎn kōngjiān. nǐ néng bǎozhèng zài tiào yī jiā, jiù yǒu tiǎozhànxìng, zhǔguǎn jiù néng ná nǐ dāng bǎo le?
Last time you said your job wasn't challenging, it was boring and that you didn't have any room to grow. How can you be so sure that a new job will be challenging and that the boss will appreciate you?
A: 那谁知道呢!反正我要再试试。
nà shéi zhīdào ne! fǎnzhèng wǒ yào zài shì shi.
Who knows?! Either way, I still want to keep trying.
B: 我看你还是好好表现,争取上司的信任吧。跳一次就得花两三个月时间熟悉,这样你到哪儿都是新手。
wǒ kàn nǐ háishì hǎohāo biǎoxiàn, zhēngqǔ shàngsi de xìnrèn ba. tiào yī cì jiù děi huā liǎng sān ge yuè shíjiān shúxī, zhèyàng nǐ dào nǎr dōu shì xīnshǒu.
I think you should work on your performance and try hard to gain your boss's trust. If you get a new job, you'll have spend 2 or 3 months getting familiar with the place. Wherever you go, you'll be a newcomer.
A: "树挪死,人挪活",我肯定能找到一份更适合我的工作。
" shùnuósǐ, rénnuóhuó", wǒ kěndìng néng zhǎodào yī fèn gèng shìhé wǒ de gōngzuò.
“If trees move, they die. If people move, they live”. I can definitely find a more suitable job.
B: 毕业两年就换了四五份工作,谁还敢要你!年轻人要有点儿耐性。
bìyè liǎng nián jiù huàn le sì wǔ fèn gōngzuò, shéi hái gǎn yào nǐ! niánqīngrén yào yǒu diǎnr nàixìng.
You've switched jobs 4 times since you've graduated – who's still going to want you now? Young people need to be a little patient.
A: 妈,你别老拿我跟你们那一代人比,一辈子抱着一个饭碗舍不得丢。
mā, nǐ bié lǎo ná wǒ gēn nǐmen nà yī dài rén bǐ, yībèizi bào zhe yī ge fànwǎn shěbude diū.
Mom, don't always put me in the same boat as your generation – clinging to the same the job your whole life, so afraid of losing it.
B: 待遇不好要跳,没发展空间也要跳,跟上司不合也要跳,你一个女孩子家,跳来跳去什么时候是尽头。
dàiyù bù hǎo yào tiào, méi fāzhǎn kōngjiān yě yào tiào, gēn shàngsi bù hé yě yào tiào, nǐ yī ge nǚháizi jiā, tiàoláitiàoqù shénme shíhou shì jìntóu.
When the pay is bad, you want to get a new job. When there's no room for growth, you want to get a new job. When you don't get along with your boss, you want to get a new job. You're always wanting to switch jobs – when is it going to end?
A: 那我不工作了,蹲在家里啃老吧!我哪儿也不去,就呆在家伺候您。
nà wǒ bù gōngzuò le, dūn zài jiā lǐ kěnlǎo ba! wǒ nǎr yě bù qù, jiù dāi zài jiā cìhou nín.
Then I'll quit! I'll stay at home and leech off of you guys! I won't go anywhere and I'll just stay at home taking care of you.
B: 好了,好了,不管你了,你爱怎么折腾就怎么折腾去吧!
hǎo le, hǎo le, bù guǎn nǐ le, nǐ ài zěnme zhēteng jiù zěnme zhēteng qù ba!
Fine, I won't bother. If you want to keep moving all over the place, then so be it!

Key Vocabulary

辞职 cízhí to quit a job, to resign
dùn [measure word for meals]
散伙饭 sànhuǒfàn farewell dinner, break-up dinner
跳槽 tiàocáo to switch jobs
屁股还没坐热 pìgu hái méi zuòrè to have only just arrived
顶头上司 dǐngtóu shàngsi direct superior
穿小鞋 chuān xiǎoxié to make things hard for someone
受气 shòuqì to be bullied
挑战性 tiǎozhànxìng challenging
没劲儿 méijìnr boring
空间 kōngjiān space, room
拿......当宝 ná ... dāng bǎo to treat as a treasure
争取 zhēngqǔ to strive for
信任 xìnrèn trust
新手 xīnshǒu newcomer
树挪死,人挪活 shùnuósǐ, rénnuóhuó 'trees move and die, people move and live'
耐性 nàixìng patience
dài generation
一辈子 yībèizi a lifetime
饭碗 fànwǎn rice bowl, job
舍不得 shěbude to not bear separating
diū to lose
待遇 dàiyù compensation
女孩子家 nǚháizi jiā girl
尽头 jìntóu end
dūn to squat
啃老 kěnlǎo to leech off of one's elders
伺候 cìhou to wait upon
折腾 zhēteng to toss and turn

Supplementary Vocabulary

讽刺 fěngcì to satirize
升职 shēngzhí to be promoted
权力 quánlì power, authority
利益冲突 lìyì chōngtū conflict of interest
移动 yídòng to move
耐心 nàixīn patient

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