How to Say “How is work?” in Chinese
Small talk and travel · HSK 2
"How is work?" in Chinese is 工作怎么样 (gōng zuò zěn me yàng). 工作怎么样 is the standard way to ask a friend how their job is going. 怎么样 (how's it going) is one of the most useful patterns in Chinese; you can stick it after almost anything.
Primary translation
工作怎么样
gōng zuò zěn me yàng
Traditional: 工作怎麼樣
Variants by register
Formal
工作还顺利吗
gōng zuò hái shùn lì ma
Casual
工作咋样
gōng zuò zǎ yàng
When to use it
工作怎么样 is the standard way to ask a friend how their job is going. 怎么样 (how's it going) is one of the most useful patterns in Chinese; you can stick it after almost anything. Northern Chinese speakers often contract 怎么样 to 咋样 (zǎ yàng) in casual speech; you'll hear this a lot in Beijing and the northeast. In a more formal setting (with an older relative or your boss's boss), 工作还顺利吗 (is work going smoothly?) sounds more considerate. Be aware: asking about someone's 工资 (salary) is less taboo in China than in the West, but still read the room.
Example sentences
最近工作怎么样？忙吗？
Zuì jìn gōng zuò zěn me yàng? Máng ma?
How's work lately? Are you busy?
新公司的工作怎么样，习惯了吗？
Xīn gōng sī de gōng zuò zěn me yàng, xí guàn le ma?
How's work at the new company; have you settled in?
工作还顺利吗？有没有什么困难？
Gōng zuò hái shùn lì ma? Yǒu méi yǒu shén me kùn nán?
Is work going well? Any difficulties?