加班 Working Overtime in Chinese

最近zuìjìn公司gōngsī的de事情shìqing特别tèbié多duō，我wǒ几乎jīhū每天měi tiān都dōu要yào加班jiābān。

Recently there has been an awful lot going on at the company, and I have had to work overtime almost every day.

昨天zuótiān晚上wǎnshang八bā点diǎn，办公室bàngōngshì里lǐ只有zhǐyǒu我wǒ和hé经理jīnglǐ两liǎng个gè人rén。

At eight o'clock last night, there were only two people in the office: me and the manager.

他tā让ràng我wǒ把bǎ这些zhèxiē电子邮件diànzǐ yóujiàn都dōu写xiě完wán，然后ránhòu他tā自己zìjǐ也yě坐zuò在zài电脑diànnǎo前qián工作gōngzuò。

He asked me to finish writing all these emails, and then he sat down at his own computer and worked too.

我wǒ一边yìbiān听tīng音乐yīnyuè一边yìbiān工作gōngzuò，写xiě完wán的de时候shíhou，已经yǐjīng十shí点diǎn半bàn了le。

I worked while listening to music; by the time I finished, it was already half past ten.

走zǒu出chū公司gōngsī的de时候shíhou，街道jiēdào上shang的de人rén越来越yuèláiyuè少shǎo，我wǒ又yòu累lèi又yòu饿è。

As I walked out of the company, there were fewer and fewer people on the street, and I felt both tired and hungry.

我wǒ在zài楼lóu下xià的de超市chāoshì买mǎi了le一yì碗wǎn面条miàntiáo，坐zuò在zài公园gōngyuán的de椅子yǐzi上shang慢慢mànmàn吃chī。

I bought a bowl of noodles at the supermarket downstairs, then sat on a bench in the park and ate slowly.

那nà时候shíhou我wǒ突然tūrán想xiǎng：钱qián虽然suīrán重要zhòngyào，但是dànshì身体shēntǐ和hé自己zìjǐ的de时间shíjiān更gèng重要zhòngyào。

At that moment it suddenly hit me: money matters, but my health and my own time matter even more.

所以suǒyǐ我wǒ决定juédìng，以后yǐhòu除了chúle特别tèbié忙máng的de时候shíhou，我wǒ不bú再zài加班jiābān到dào这么zhème晚wǎn了le。

So I decided that from now on, except when things are especially busy, I will not work this late any more.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

加班jiābānto work overtime

经理jīnglǐmanager

几乎jīhūalmost

突然tūránsuddenly

决定juédìngto decide

除了chúleexcept for; besides

一边……一边…… — doing two things at once

一边 A 一边 B says the two actions happen at the same time. Each slot takes a verb phrase, e.g. 一边走一边说.

我一边听音乐一边工作。 — I worked while listening to music.

虽然 A，但是 B — although A, B

虽然 may stand before or after the subject, and 但是 (or 可是) opens the second clause. Chinese keeps both halves, unlike English.

钱虽然重要，但是身体更重要。 — Money is important, but health matters more.

越来越 + adjective — more and more…

越来越 before an adjective (or a verb like 喜欢) describes a change that keeps growing over time.

街道上的人越来越少。 — There were fewer and fewer people on the street.

1. What did the manager ask the narrator to do?

2. What time did the narrator finish his work?

3. What did the narrator decide at the end?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.