professional
Definitions
Relating to or belonging to a profession.
职业的，行业的
Doing something as a paid job rather than as a hobby; expert and skilled.
专业的，职业的；内行的（相对于业余）
Showing the competence, conduct, or standards expected in work.
（态度、表现）专业的，得体的
A person who does a job that needs special training, or who is paid for an activity others do for fun.
专业人士；职业选手
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedprofession + -al = belonging to a profession. Because a profession is a trained, paid calling, 'professional' came to mean both 'done for a living' (professional athlete vs amateur) and 'showing trained competence' (professional behavior).
Why It Means This
Two threads run through 'professional.' One is the money line: a professional earns a living at something, opposite of an amateur (a professional photographer vs a hobbyist). The other is the quality line: 'professional' means competent, polished, behaving by the standards of a trained field ('that's not very professional'). Both come from the same root idea — belonging to a declared, trained calling.
Common Collocations
- 1.professional advice专业意见
- 2.go professional转为职业
- 3.professional athlete职业运动员
- 4.health professional医疗专业人员
Example Sentences
- 1.
She turned professional after winning the amateur title.
- 2.
You should seek professional advice before signing.
- 3.
He handled the complaint in a calm, professional manner.
- 4.
The clinic employs several health professionals.
Easily Confused
professional vs amateur vs expert — professional contrasts with amateur on the pay axis: a professional does it for a living, an amateur for love (and not necessarily worse at it). Expert is about skill level alone, regardless of pay — an amateur can be an expert, and not every professional is an expert.