职业 zhí yè
“occupation; profession; vocation; professional”
nounHSK 4 · 2021 list level 3Traditional 職業
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
职业 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 1949: 职业 zhíyè — Level 4; official annotation 4 (名). PDF page 128
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 职业
职业 is a formal noun meaning occupation or profession—the kind of work a person does. It is used to ask or state what someone does for a living, often in patterns like 你的职业是什么？ or 我的职业是……. It is more formal and specific than the everyday word 工作.
例句Example sentences
- 你的职业是什么？nǐ de zhí yè shì shén me?What is your occupation?
- 我妈妈的职业是医生。wǒ mā ma de zhí yè shì yī sheng.My mother's occupation is doctor.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗我职业医生。
✓我的职业是医生。
职业 is a noun, so it needs 的 after the possessor and 是 before the profession.