<p>If you wrote: "在开始工作的时候什么最重要" the sentence would be ambiguous:</p>

<p>"在开始工作的时候" could mean at the start of your work shift: e.g. "在开始作的时候最重的要是检查安全"(When you start to work, the most important thing is check safety)</p>

<p>It could also mean when you start entering the work force: e.g. "在开始工作的时候最重要的是與同事打好關係" (When you entering the work force, the most important thing is creating a good relationship with colleagues)</p>

<p>Since (在)开始工作的时候最重的要是检查安全 means (每天)开始工作的时候最重的要是检查安全. And you can't replace "每天"(everyday) with "刚" (just), "刚开始工作的时候" should be  interpreted as "when first entering the work force"</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-16T07:56:08.747Z
2019-10-16T07:56:08.747Z
Tang Ho
<p>Not 'each day', but 'at the beginning'.</p>

<p>刚开始工作的时候，什么最重要？<br>
What's the most important thing when you just start off in a new job?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-16T22:39:59.057Z
2019-10-16T22:39:59.057Z
Pedroski
<blockquote>
  <p>刚开始工作的时候，什么最重要？</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I'd interpret it as <em>when entering the workforce</em>, which  is the second meaning you listed. </p>

<p>When someone says 刚开始工作的时候, I'd assume he meant <em>when entering the workforce</em>.  If they try to convey <em>when starting work each workday</em>, I'd expect something like: 每天早上开始工作的时候; 每天开始工作的时候; 每天开始工作时; 每天工作开始时. </p>

<p>One could bend that rule/convention sometimes, but it's not hard to figure out what they really mean in a given context anyway. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-16T10:20:18.180Z
2019-10-16T10:20:18.180Z
dan
<p>This is from HSK4上 (page 49):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/rsx2L.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/rsx2L.jpg" alt="刚开始工作的时候，什么最重要？"></a><br>
  刚开始工作的时候，什么最重要？<br>
  What is most important when I first started working?  (<a href="https://translate.google.cn/#view=home&amp;op=translate&amp;sl=zh-CN&amp;tl=en&amp;text=%E5%88%9A%E5%BC%80%E5%A7%8B%E5%B7%A5%E4%BD%9C%E7%9A%84%E6%97%B6%E5%80%99%EF%BC%8C%E4%BB%80%E4%B9%88%E6%9C%80%E9%87%8D%E8%A6%81%EF%BC%9F" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Google Translate</a>)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I'm confused here: I can't tell whether this means:</p>

<ol>
<li>"when starting work" (perhaps each workday) or</li>
<li>"when entering the workforce" (as in, first day of work, perhaps in my life, or perhaps at a new company).</li>
</ol>

<p>My impression from context that it has the second meaning (it's related to a passage which begins 年轻人刚开始工作的时候，不要太急着赚钱...), but I don't know how I could figure that out.</p>

<p><strong>Question</strong>: Does 刚开始工作的时候... mean "when starting work" (each day) or "when entering the workforce"?</p>

<meaning>
Does 刚开始工作的时候... mean "when starting work" (each day) or "when entering the workforce"?
# Does 刚开始工作的时候... mean "when starting work" (each day) or "when entering the workforce"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-10-16)

This is from HSK4上 (page 49):

> [![刚开始工作的时候，什么最重要？](https://i.sstatic.net/rsx2L.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/rsx2L.jpg)  
> 刚开始工作的时候，什么最重要？  
> What is most important when I first started working? ([Google Translate](https://translate.google.cn/#view=home&op=translate&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&text=%E5%88%9A%E5%BC%80%E5%A7%8B%E5%B7%A5%E4%BD%9C%E7%9A%84%E6%97%B6%E5%80%99%EF%BC%8C%E4%BB%80%E4%B9%88%E6%9C%80%E9%87%8D%E8%A6%81%EF%BC%9F))

I'm confused here: I can't tell whether this means:

1. "when starting work" (perhaps each workday) or
2. "when entering the workforce" (as in, first day of work, perhaps in my life, or perhaps at a new company).

My impression from context that it has the second meaning (it's related to a passage which begins 年轻人刚开始工作的时候，不要太急着赚钱...), but I don't know how I could figure that out.

**Question**: Does 刚开始工作的时候... mean "when starting work" (each day) or "when entering the workforce"?

**Tags:** meaning


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-10-16. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

> 刚开始工作的时候，什么最重要？

I'd interpret it as *when entering the workforce*, which is the second meaning you listed.

When someone says 刚开始工作的时候, I'd assume he meant *when entering the workforce*. If they try to convey *when starting work each workday*, I'd expect something like: 每天早上开始工作的时候; 每天开始工作的时候; 每天开始工作时; 每天工作开始时.

One could bend that rule/convention sometimes, but it's not hard to figure out what they really mean in a given context anyway.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2019-10-16. Score: 2

If you wrote: "在开始工作的时候什么最重要" the sentence would be ambiguous:

"在开始工作的时候" could mean at the start of your work shift: e.g. "在开始作的时候最重的要是检查安全"(When you start to work, the most important thing is check safety)

It could also mean when you start entering the work force: e.g. "在开始工作的时候最重要的是與同事打好關係" (When you entering the work force, the most important thing is creating a good relationship with colleagues)

Since (在)开始工作的时候最重的要是检查安全 means (每天)开始工作的时候最重的要是检查安全. And you can't replace "每天"(everyday) with "刚" (just), "刚开始工作的时候" should be interpreted as "when first entering the work force"


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### Answer by username_2 on 2019-10-16. Score: 1

Not 'each day', but 'at the beginning'.

刚开始工作的时候，什么最重要？  
What's the most important thing when you just start off in a new job?


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