不是996 就是007
“It's either the 996 or the 007 work schedule.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
早起 熬夜
“waking up early and staying up late.”
不是 996 就是 007
“It's either the 996 or the 007 work schedule.”
生病是早晚的事情
“Getting sick was only a matter of time.”
“We are being worked to death around the clock, and it is totally unsustainable.”
Numerical shorthand like '996' and '007' encapsulates the intense competitive pressure ('involution' or neijuan) in contemporary Chinese workplaces, reflecting deep anxieties over health and work-life balance.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
if not A, then B; either A or B
A correlative pattern used to express that an outcome or situation constantly alternates between two undesirable or exclusive extremes.
9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 6 days a week work schedule
Widely used in modern Chinese professional slang to describe oppressive overtime culture, especially in tech and corporate sectors.
working from 00:00 to 24:00, 7 days a week (around-the-clock availability)
An exaggerated extension of '996' referring to being on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“It's either the 996 or the 007 work schedule. Getting sick was only a matter of time.”
“We have all the time we need.”
“No. That's not it, Sir. Our boss doesn't need you”
“That's not what I meant. You can use work hours however you like.”
“That's it? Work's over?”
“We can't work all the time. We need to rest.”