(jiě gù) - to dismiss, to sack, to lay off in Mandarin
jiěgùTraditional: 解僱
Translation
to dismiss, to sack, to lay off
Word origin
A compound of 解 (jiě, to untie, to dissolve) and 雇 (gù, to hire), so to undo the hiring.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 解 (jiě, to untie) + 雇 (gù, to hire)
Stroke order
解
雇
Examples
。
The company laid off ten people last month.
。
He was sacked for being late too often.
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The boss has said he will dismiss her.
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Dismissing staff is not an easy thing to do.
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After he was sacked he started his own company.
解雇 (jiě gù) is to dismiss an employee. It is the neutral, contractual word, the one in the letter and the newspaper report, and it is what you would say to a lawyer.
Because the person losing the job is on the receiving end, they usually turn up in a 被 sentence: 他被解雇了. The company is the one doing it: 公司解雇了他.
The trap is register. In conversation people rarely say 解雇. A colleague says 他被炒鱿鱼了, literally he got stir-fried squid, from the way a fried squid curls up like a rolled bedroll on the way out of the door. 开除 is stronger again and means expelled or thrown out in disgrace, so it is not a synonym you can swap in freely.
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解雇: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "解雇" (to dismiss, to sack, to lay off): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 50.