REAL INTERNET CHINESE
work shift smell
the drained, gray aura that a job puts on you
- Who can you say it to?
- Friends and coworkers Normal among people your own age. Skip it with elders, clients and officials.
- Out loud, or only typed?
- Say it or type it Works out loud and in chat.
- Is it still used?
- Hot right now In heavy use at the moment.
When to say it
You can smell the office on someone. Tired eyes, wrinkled shirt, the dead smile in photos a few months into a new job, that is bānwèi. Say someone's bānwèi is heavy as a sympathetic joke, or celebrate when quitting washes it off. Dark humor, but warm.
Hear it in the wild
Shàngbān bànnián, tā bānwèi hǎo zhòng.
Six months into the job, he reeks of office.
Lízhí hòu, bānwèi zhōngyú méi le.
After quitting, the office stink finally washed off.
Quick answers
What does 班味 mean?
the drained, gray aura that a job puts on you
When do people say 班味?
You can smell the office on someone. Tired eyes, wrinkled shirt, the dead smile in photos a few months into a new job, that is bānwèi. Say someone's bānwèi is heavy as a sympathetic joke, or celebrate when quitting washes it off. Dark humor, but warm.
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