# Part-time (study, degree)



## xiaolijie

Hi, there are so many words in Chinese for "part-time" and I don't seem to find the right words for it as used in "part-time study/ part-time degree/ She studied part-time for a degree". Can anyone help?

Incidentally, in the search for the right word, I came across the Chinese sentences below but I don't feel that the Chinese words for "part-time" in them are idiomatic (or even correct). Can you have a look and see if there is anything unusual?



> We rely on part - time staff for most of our business .
> 我们的大多数工作都依靠*职人员*完成。
> 
> We rely on part - time staff for most of our mail - order business .
> 我们依靠*上班半的职员*完成大部分邮递订购业务。


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## YangMuye

Maybe only Google translation can understand those sentences.
=====
兼职<->全职
n.
adj. with or without 的
(sometimes)adverb-like. without 地

兼职 is also a verb.

我在便利店(做)兼职。
他们是兼职(员工)。


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## xiaolijie

YangMuye said:


> Maybe only Google translation can understand those sentences.


Thank you for confirming my doubt. So that is one thing out of the way 



> 兼职<->全职
> n.
> adj. with or without 的
> (sometimes)adverb-like. without 地
> 
> 兼职 is also a verb.
> 
> 我在便利店(做)兼职。
> 他们是兼职(员工)。


Yes, I know these words. The problem is 兼职 doesn't seem to fit in the context of studies like _"*part-time* study/ *part-time* degree/ She studied *part-time* for a degree".
_


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## midismilex

xiaolijie said:


> Yes, I know these words. The problem is 兼职 doesn't seem to fit in the context of studies like _"*part-time* study/ *part-time* degree/ She studied *part-time* for a degree".
> _



説實在的，我有點兒不太敢回答，因為如果是要申請國外學校，我以下的叫法好像不是要出國唸書用的。

以下是我們自己在台灣唸書的叫法（如果是外國留學生來台唸書，可能有其他叫法，不過，台灣各大學有沒有patr-time study或degree，我們不太會知道。）

（我另外發文，免得電腦跳掉。）


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## midismilex

part-time study: 在職進修

part-time degree: 我們好像沒有'在職進修學位'這種東西，一般都是説'提供在職進修學位'，是一句affirmative sentence，不是學位的名稱。

She studied part-time for a degree. 翻成＂她半工半讀拿到學位＂、＂她靠在職進修取得學位＂，這樣跟xiaolijie想得是一樣的嗎？還是你的意思是＂她拿的是part-time degree的學位＂?

我能想的就這些啦。

ps. 如果是要國外唸書用的，不曉得他們part-time study/degree還翻不翻中文？（這個我需要facebook一下問留學生）提供2個不是固定叫法的翻譯：one is 部分時程留學|學位，the other is 鐘點（制）留學|學位。


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## YangMuye

Full-time 全日、全日制
Part-time 兼讀、兼讀制

According to the application forms from my school.

But I don't know how to use them, and I don't know if they are used in Mainland China.
Maybe you can say “他兼讀(verb.)理工学士，修完了兼讀制課程(Part-time Programme)，取得了兼讀制學位”(Part-time Degree).


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## xiaolijie

Thank you for replying, midismilex and YangMuye!

I can somewhat understand the words you cited, but it's curious that for a very common English word such as "part-time", the Chinese counterparts sound rather exotic . I was also thinking of these: 部分时间制课程, 业余时间课程. Do you think they are ok?


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## YangMuye

部分时间制课程 sounds good.

Attaching 制 makes it sound like a professional term, and not exotic even though the listener can't understand it at all. 
While “业余” sounds like “amateur”...


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## midismilex

But I prefer 業餘 than 部分時程, because it looks very definite, and more close/equivalent to the meanings of part-time study.

At the first glance of 業餘時間課程, I can quite catch its meaning as 工作之餘的求學課程. And I think that is what part-time study is, if I'm not wrong. It equals, not just equivalent, to 在職進修 (even EMBA) as what we said in Taiwan.

Think of these two sentences or make a test directly to the Taiwanese people, you will find why they have difference reactions between 在職進修 and 業餘時間課程, even you say EMBA. (That will tell you why a common English word such as 'part-time', the Chinese counterparts sound rather exotic.) 

Examples:

我要去國外 在職進修。（the response will be 怎麼那麼好？！公司派你去的啊？）
我要去國外 唸業餘時間課程。（the response will be , because it's new to us. We know study abroad, but we have no idea about part-time study (abroad)).
我要去國外 唸EMBA. (the response will be 你家也太有錢了吧？！or 幹嘛不在國內唸, .....etc.)


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## Youngfun

进修 is also used in my University.
It's part-time in the sense of over-all duration, for example they study the subject only half a year or one year, instead of the full 5-year bachelor degree (I'm studying medicine so here it's 5 years instead of 4 as other mayors) or 7-year master degree.
But it's not part-time in the sense that they study half day... they have to study a lot of things in so little time, so they are way busier than us, they study from morning to evening, 7 days a week... I wouldn't like that...
Also, in Mainland China we don't say "職"進修: 进修 is already a verb. So we'd just say 我要去国外进修。

My university has a 预科部 (Preparatory courses) which is a course that prepare 留学生 (international students) to enter the university by teaching Chinese language and some basic knowledge of our major 中医 (Chinese medicine), and organizing tours to clinics, pharmacies, and trips to the Great Wall, the Emperor's City and other Beijing touristic places.
Actually that's more fun than our degree course.

Especially in 北京语言大学 (BLCU, Beijing Language and Culture University) there are many foreign students that go there and study the Chinese language 1 year. And many of them after 1 year know Chinese quite well, so that's why BLCU is considered the best Chinese-teaching institution aiming to foreigners.
But I don't know how are those kind of 1-year courses called...

Also, many Chinese universities, such as BLCU, Beiwai, Beiwai 2, Fudan, Jiaotong, Zhejiang University etc. organize summer courses of Chinese language.
Those courses are not only full of foreigners, but also full of 香蕉人 ("Banana-men"), such as many of my Chinese friends from Italy and Spain.
I think they are just called 暑假汉语课程 (Summer Courses of Chinese)。

Maybe 業餘時間課程 is right, but then you have to explain what's "part-time study" with some side notes, as it doesn't exist in China.

I've heard often of MBA (is it Master in Business Administration?), but what's EMBA? 

I would say that if someone studies and does part-time job as well, he's 半工半读.
But in China there are evening universities 夜大（夜晚大学）for people that work in the daytime.


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## mrdrx

xiaolijie said:


> Hi, there are so many words in Chinese for "part-time" and I don't seem to find the right words for it as used in "part-time study/ part-time degree/ She studied part-time for a degree". Can anyone help?
> 
> Incidentally, in the search for the right word, I came across the Chinese sentences below but I don't feel that the Chinese words for "part-time" in them are idiomatic (or even correct). Can you have a look and see if there is anything unusual?




这里叫“兼读学位课程”，“非全日制课程”等等​


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## xiaolijie

mrdrx said:


> 这里叫“兼读学位课程”，“非全日制课程”等等​


谢谢！ 这些很容易看懂，听起来好像是正式的说法。 
我也找到了这个：全日制 vs 兼读制(课程)


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## Youngfun

兼读 is good, analog with 兼职
Although I don't know if it's a popular term in China.
Also, I don't get the meaning of "part-time" studying, can you please explain to us, xiaolijie?


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## xiaolijie

Youngfun said:


> Also, I don't get the meaning of "part-time" studying, can you please explain to us, xiaolijie?


With pleasure! 
Take an example, a BA degree may take you 3 years of study to complete if you do it full-time. Some universities may offer the same course on a less intensive part-time basis, and this course will take 5 or 6 years to complete. People who want to do part-time courses tend to be busy people, who may be doing other work at the same time with studying. There are many part-time courses, from a short language course to a long doctorate degree. Many (but not all) part-time courses are taught in the evenings.


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## midismilex

xiaolijie said:


> With pleasure!
> Take an example, a BA degree may take you 3 years of study to complete if you do it full-time. Some universities may offer the same course on a less intensive part-time basis, and this course will take 5 or 6 years to complete. People who want to do part-time courses tend to be busy people, who may be doing other work at the same time with studying. There are many part-time courses, from a short language course to a long doctorate degree. Many (but not all) part-time courses are taught in the evenings.



這樣看起來是EMBA呀！（可是EMBA的英文不是part-time study)。不是去China的兼讀or走讀。如果是去China拿學位，像你説的情形，他們去過的説是在職專班。（不過我也很懷疑，因為你説part-time courses are taught in the evenings)

我原本要問你是不是我們説的＂打工遊學＂，就是work and study （有人這樣翻），可是這種都是兩、三個月就結束的遊學＂團＂,跟你描述的不一樣。（可是如果照字面翻：part-time叫＂打工＂，study叫＂遊學＂，湊起來卻最像。）

哈，我看正規的留學生都要被問倒了，萬一我再把口語裡的叫法又列出來的話。

ps. As far as you see, studying abroad to China and to other countries, they have different names. 偏偏中文大家都知道，英文怎麼叫，沒人曉得。留學生也不是這樣的方式留學，其他方式可能也會搞不懂？所以，我們也盡可能幫你找答案了。


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## Youngfun

@xiaolijie
Thank you for your explaination!

It seems that 进修 is quite the opposite of "part-time study". In my university there are 进修课程 aimed mainly for 留学生, but as I said above, that's not "part-time study", it's rather "fuller-than-undergraduates-time study!" 
They are rather non-busy people that are willing to spend their whole weekdays and weekends attending classes, and want to learn things in a short period of time, like half a year or one year, and then usually go back to their countries, instead of getting a degree.
There are 进修 even shorter, aiming foreigners, mainly people who study medicine too in their countries, they come here for learning some Chinese medicine or to learn acupuncture for 1 month or even 2 weeks, then go back to work in their own countries.

If you put emphasis on "work and study" I will say 半工半读 is fine, also 边学习边做兼职。
But I feel a little difference between them.
半工半读 is studying and working almost for equal times, and working is essential to make the living, to pay the school fee, the rent, and groceries.
边学习边兼职 is rather studying mainly, then doing some simple jobs in the free time to gain experience, to make some extra pocket money, or because one feels bored.
But the main economic source are still parents, scholarship, previous savings, etc.
It's rather studying "full-time" and working "part-time", rather than studying "part-time".
That's what I used to do last year. I study in a undergraduate degree, but was doing a part-time job because I was lacking on money, my parents were about to send me more money, I just said don't worry, my salary will arrive at the end of the month.

If you put emphasis on the courses taught at night, 夜校/夜大 are fine.


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## midismilex

To YoungFun:

有些東西是當地話，不是什麼都可以拿來翻譯的。

翻到當地人都看不懂，不曉得要翻譯幹嘛？外國人直接高興怎麼叫就好了，幹嘛管你native看得懂、看不懂。see?


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## Zhi

中文里面确实没有part-time student的合适翻译。如果你碰到一些书面的情况非要没有合适的名字也要搞出一个名字的话，那上面的那些说法都可以接受。但是在日常生活中，你就算这样说了也没人听的懂。。。我宁可说“我每周上两天课”或者“我白天上班晚上上课”或者“我只有周末上课”，也不会说“我是非全日制学生”。

btw一楼的两个例句都不对～


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## Youngfun

Also, I forgot to say that in my university there is 五年制 and 七年制, both underdraguate degree.
The majority of us study in 五年制, i.e. we complete the course in 5 years.
Other people study in the 7-years-system, they study the same things as us, but take 7 years instead of 5.
I suppose they study things slower, but their exams are a little more difficult too.
Though I don't know if they take less classes each week.


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