Understanding "雇佣" - Chinese Word Explanation

1. Basic Information

• Word: 雇佣
• Pinyin: gùyōng
• Literal Meaning: “hire” + “hired worker / servant”
• Primary Meaning: to employ or hire someone to work for pay, usually in a formal employer–employee relationship

2. In-depth Explanation

• Context and Usage: 雇佣 is a fairly formal verb used when one person or organization pays another to do work. You will see it in business, legal, and news contexts—for example, when a company takes on staff, when a household hires help, or when labor law talks about an employment relationship (雇佣关系). It stresses the contractual, paid nature of the relationship more than the recruiting process itself. For “looking for people to hire,” Chinese often uses 招聘; for everyday “I hired someone,” 雇 alone is also common and a bit more colloquial. 雇佣 can sound slightly hierarchical: there is a clear employer and a paid worker. It is not the usual word for asking a friend to help for free.
• Character Breakdown:
• 雇 (gù): to hire; to employ someone for a job or service.
• 佣 (yōng): in this word, a hired person or servant (historically, someone employed in a household or for labor). Together, the two characters reinforce the idea of paid employment. (Note: the same character 佣 is pronounced yòng in words about a sales commission, such as 佣金, but in 雇佣 the reading is yōng.)

3. Example Sentences

• Chinese: 这家公司去年雇佣了二十名新员工。
• Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī qùnián gùyōng le èrshí míng xīn yuángōng.

• English: This company hired twenty new employees last year.

• Chinese: 他被一家律师事务所雇佣，担任助理。

• Pinyin: Tā bèi yī jiā lǜshī shìwùsuǒ gùyōng, dānrèn zhùlǐ.

• English: He was hired by a law firm to work as an assistant.

• Chinese: 在旅游旺季，很多酒店会雇佣临时工。

• Pinyin: Zài lǚyóu wàngjì, hěn duō jiǔdiàn huì gùyōng línshígōng.
• English: During the peak tourist season, many hotels hire temporary workers.

Cultural Notes (if applicable)

In modern mainland usage, 雇佣 often appears in formal or legal language. Labor discussions may refer to 雇佣关系 (the employment relationship) or 雇主 and 雇员 (employer and employee). The traditional written form is 僱傭. Historically, 雇 and 佣 were linked to hiring servants or laborers; today the word is neutral in business writing, though it still highlights a paid, unequal working relationship rather than partnership or voluntary help. Learners should not confuse it with 佣金 (yòngjīn), which means “commission.”

Conclusion

Remember 雇佣 (gùyōng) as the formal way to say “to hire” or “to employ” someone for pay. Think “雇 = hire” plus “佣 = hired worker,” and use it for companies, contracts, and clear employer–employee situations rather than casual unpaid help.

Sources and Further Reading

• MDBG Chinese Dictionary: 雇佣
• Wiktionary: 雇佣
• HSK vocabulary reference dataset

Dictionary links are provided for independent reference. Example sentences and learning notes on this page are educational explanations rather than dictionary quotations.