What is the difference between gan4huo3 and gong1zuo4?

[piano0011]

让他们接着干活

 

What is the difference between gan4huo2 and gong1zuo4 or shang4ban1? From my understanding, shang4ban1 is a verb and gong1zuo4 is a noun correct but when would you use gan4huo3?

[Lu]

上班 and 干活 grammatically work like 下雨, they are verb+object.

上班 is 上 go to + 班 office

干活 is 干 do + 活 work

All of these characters (上, 班, 干,  and 活) have other meanings as well, but in these words they mean 'go to the office' and 'do work'.

工作 is grammatically a bit different again, and beyond my powers of explanation.

 

The difference between 上班 and 干活 is that 上班 has more connotations of white-collar work; 干活 is more work that makes you sweat, or a more colloquial way of saying 'to work'. 工作 is the most neutral, I'd say.

 

I hope this is of some help.

[piano0011]

so is gan5huo3 more often used then colloquially to just mean to work in general or to keep fit? wo yao gan4huo3... doesn't refer to any particular job maybe? whereas shang4ban1 really emphasis going to a place to work?

[Lu]

干活 is not what you do in the gym, it's things like a farmer tilling the land, or a worker paving a street, stuff like that. Not a specific job, but mostly practical work. But an office worker could also use it, as a colloquial way to say 'gotta get back to work'.

上班 means roughly 'going to the office'. Also not a specific job. I think it would usually refer to physically going to an office (to work), but perhaps you could also use it if you clock in for a remote job.

[piano0011]

so shangban is a verb, an action word but gan4huo3 is more a physical work for blue collar worker i guess?