HSK 6 · Article · 886 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-wuxian-yijin-in-china

五险一金是什么？

What is 五险一金 (wuxian yijin) in China?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

大学dàxué一yí毕业bìyè，程悦就jiù进jìn了le上海shànghǎi一yì家jiā公司gōngsī，合同hétong上shàng写xiě着zhe月薪yuèxīn一万yíwàn元yuán。第一dìyī份fèn工资gōngzī到账dàozhàng那天nàtiān，她tā盯dīng着zhe手机shǒujī上shàng的de短信duǎnxìn看kàn了le半天bàntiān：只有zhíyǒu八千出头bāqiān-chūtóu。钱qián去qù哪儿nǎr了le？她tā打开dǎkāi工资gōngzī条tiáo，发现fāxiàn上面shàngmiàn列liè着zhe一yì长cháng串chuàn扣款kòukuǎn，排pái在zài最zuì前面qiánmiàn的de是shì四sì个gè字zì：五险一金wúxiǎn-yìjīn。

“五wǔ险xiǎn”指zhǐ的de是shì五wǔ种zhǒng社会保险shèhuì-báoxiǎn：养老保险yángláo-báoxiǎn、医疗保险yīliáo-báoxiǎn、失业shīyè保险báoxiǎn、工伤保险gōngshāng-báoxiǎn和hé生育shēngyù保险báoxiǎn；“一yì金jīn”则zé是shì住房公积金zhùfánggōngjījīn。招聘zhāopìn广告guǎnggào常cháng把bǎ五险一金wúxiǎn-yìjīn写xiě在zài“福利fúlì”一yì栏lán，但dàn这zhè其实qíshí是shì法律fǎlǜ规定guīdìng的de义务yìwù：用人单位yòngrén-dānwèi必须bìxū为wèi员工yuángōng交jiāo社保shèbǎo，住房公积金zhùfánggōngjījīn也yě有yǒu专门zhuānmén的de条例tiáolì。每月měiyuè扣kòu掉diào的de，只是zhǐshì个人gèrén要yào交jiāo的de部分bùfèn；单位dānwèi还hái要yào另外lìngwài交jiāo一yí份fèn，而且érqiě金额jīn’é通常tōngcháng比bǐ个人gèrén的de更gèng高gāo。

以yǐ程悦为例wéilì，个人gèrén要yào交jiāo的de部分bùfèn大致dàzhì是shì这样zhèyàng的de：养老保险yángláo-báoxiǎn交jiāo百分之八bǎifēnzhībā，医疗保险yīliáo-báoxiǎn交jiāo百分之二bǎifēnzhī’èr左右zuǒyòu，失业shīyè保险báoxiǎn交jiāo千分之五qiānfēn-zhīwǔ左右zuǒyòu，住房公积金zhùfánggōngjījīn则zé在zài百分之五bǎifēnzhīwǔ到dào百分之十二bǎifēnzhīshí’èr之间zhījiān，由yóu单位dānwèi确定quèdìng。具体jùtǐ比例bǐlì各地gèdì会huì有些yǒuxiē不同bùtóng。工伤保险gōngshāng-báoxiǎn和hé生育shēngyù保险báoxiǎn完全wánquán由yóu单位dānwèi承担chéngdān，员工yuángōng自己zìjǐ不用búyòng出钱chūqián。如果rúguǒ公积金gōngjījīn按àn百分之七bǎifēnzhīqī交jiāo，一万yíwàn元yuán的de工资gōngzī先xiān少shǎo了le一千七百多yìqiānqībǎiduō元yuán；剩下shèngxia的de部分bùfèn超过chāoguò五千wǔqiān元yuán，还hái要yào交jiāo个人所得税gèrénsuǒdéshuì。短信duǎnxìn上shàng那个nàge“八千出头bāqiān-chūtóu”，就是jiùshì这么zhème算suàn出来chūlái的de。

那么nàme，这些zhèxiē钱qián是不是shìbúshì就jiù这样zhèyàng消失xiāoshī了le？并bìng不是búshì。养老保险yángláo-báoxiǎn是shì退休tuìxiū后hòu按àn月yuè领取língqǔ养老金yánglǎojīn的de前提qiántí，个人gèrén交jiāo的de部分bùfèn会huì记入jìrù个人gèrén账户zhànghù。医疗保险yīliáo-báoxiǎn让ràng看病kànbìng、住院zhùyuàn的de费用fèiyong可以kéyǐ按àn比例bǐlì报销bàoxiāo。如果rúguǒ不是búshì自己zìjǐ主动zhǔdòng辞职cízhí，而是érshì因为yīnwèi别的biéde原因yuányīn丢diū了le工作gōngzuò，只要zhǐyào失业shīyè保险báoxiǎn交jiāo满mǎn一yì年nián，就jiù可以kéyǐ申请shēnqǐng领取língqǔ失业shīyè保险金báoxiǎnjīn。工伤保险gōngshāng-báoxiǎn则zé在zài员工yuángōng因yīn工作gōngzuò受伤shòushāng时shí提供tígōng保障bǎozhàng。从cóng二〇一九年èrlíngyījiǔnián起qǐ，生育shēngyù保险báoxiǎn在zài各地gèdì陆续lùxù与yǔ医疗保险yīliáo-báoxiǎn合并hébìng实施shíshī，所以suóyǐ现在xiànzài也yě常cháng听tīng人rén说shuō“四sì险xiǎn一yì金jīn”。

最zuì受shòu年轻人niánqīngrén关注guānzhù的de，往往wángwǎng是shì住房公积金zhùfánggōngjījīn。它tā像xiàng一个yígè专门zhuānmén为wèi住房zhùfáng准备zhǔnbèi的de存钱罐cúnqiánguàn：个人gèrén交jiāo多少duōshao，单位dānwèi也yě交jiāo多少duōshao，两liǎng份fèn一起yìqǐ存cún进jìn员工yuángōng自己zìjǐ的de公积金gōngjījīn账户zhànghù。买mǎi房子fángzi时shí可以kéyǐ申请shēnqǐng公积金gōngjījīn贷款dàikuǎn，利率lìlǜ比bǐ普通pǔtōng商业shāngyè贷款dàikuǎn低dī；在zài不少bùshǎo城市chéngshì，租房zūfáng的de人rén也yě可以kéyǐ把bǎ这zhè笔bǐ钱qián取qǔ出来chūlái付fù房租fángzū。所以suóyǐ对duì程悦来lái说shuō，每月měiyuè扣kòu掉diào七百qībǎi元yuán，账户zhànghù上shàng其实qíshí增加zēngjiā了le一千四百yìqiān-sìbǎi元yuán。

外国人wàiguórén也yě一样yíyàng吗ma？根据gēnjù国家guójiā规定guīdìng，在zài中国zhōngguó合法héfǎ就业jiùyè的de外国人wàiguórén也yě应当yīngdāng参加cānjiā社会保险shèhuì-báoxiǎn；至于zhìyú住房公积金zhùfánggōngjījīn，各地gèdì做法zuòfǎ并不bìngbù相同xiāngtóng。

当然dāngrán，不是búshì人人rénrén都dōu觉得juéde划算huásuàn。有人yǒurén认为rènwéi，钱qián放fàng在zài自己zìjǐ手shǒu上shàng更gèng自由zìyóu，刚gāng工作gōngzuò、工资gōngzī不bù高gāo的de年轻人niánqīngrén尤其yóuqí这样zhèyàng想xiǎng；也yě有人yǒurén认为rènwéi，这zhè是shì一yì笔bǐ看不见kànbujiàn的de长期chángqī储蓄chǔxù，等到děngdào生病shēngbìng、失业shīyè或者huòzhě退休tuìxiū时shí才cái显出xiǎnchū分量fènliang。所以suóyǐ很hěn多duō人rén找zhǎo工作gōngzuò时shí，都dōu会huì特意tèyì问wèn一yí句jù：“有没有yǒuméiyǒu五险一金wúxiǎn-yìjīn？”

程悦后来hòulái想xiǎng明白míngbai了le：那nà一千七百多yìqiānqībǎiduō元yuán，大部分dàbùfen并bìng没有méiyǒu消失xiāoshī，只是zhǐshì换huàn了le个gè地方dìfang，等děng着zhe将来jiānglái的de自己zìjǐ。下次xiàcì工资gōngzī到账dàozhàng，你nǐ还hái会huì只zhǐ看kàn短信duǎnxìn上shàng的de那nà个gè数字shùzì吗ma？

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
合同hétongcontract; agreement
失业shīyèto be unemployed; to lose one's job; unemployment
保险báoxiǎninsurance
义务yìwùduty; obligation
员工yuángōngstaff; employee; personnel
个人gèrénindividual; personal
通常tōngchángusually; normally; generally; usual; normal
确定quèdìngsure; certain
具体jùtǐconcrete; specific; detailed
比例bǐlìproportion; ratio
消失xiāoshīto disappear; to vanish
退休tuìxiūto retire; retirement

English (for the teacher)

As soon as she graduated from university, Cheng Yue joined a company in Shanghai; her contract said her monthly salary was 10,000 yuan. On the day her first pay came in, she stared at the text message on her phone for ages: just over 8,000. Where did the money go? She opened her payslip and found a long list of deductions, and at the very top were four characters: 五险一金, the five insurances and one fund.

The 'five insurances' are five kinds of social insurance: pension, medical, unemployment, work-injury and maternity insurance; the 'one fund' is the housing provident fund. Job adverts often put 五险一金 under 'benefits', but it is actually an obligation set by law: employers must pay social insurance for their staff, and the housing fund has its own regulations too. What comes off each month is only the employee's share; the employer pays a separate share on top, and it is usually larger than the employee's.

Taking Cheng Yue as an example, her own share looks roughly like this: 8% for pension, about 2% for medical insurance, about 0.5% for unemployment insurance, and for the housing fund somewhere between 5% and 12%, set by the employer. The exact rates differ a little from place to place. Work-injury and maternity insurance are paid entirely by the employer; employees pay nothing themselves. If the housing fund is paid at 7%, a 10,000-yuan salary first loses over 1,700 yuan; the rest is still above 5,000, so income tax is due as well. That is how the 'just over 8,000' in the text message was worked out.

So has this money simply vanished? Not at all. Pension insurance is what lets you draw a monthly pension after retirement, and the employee's share goes into a personal account. Medical insurance means part of the cost of seeing a doctor or staying in hospital can be reimbursed. If you didn't quit of your own accord but lost your job for some other reason, then as long as you have paid unemployment insurance for a full year, you can apply for unemployment benefits. Work-injury insurance protects employees who are hurt because of their work. From 2019, maternity insurance was merged with medical insurance in one region after another, which is why you now often hear people say 'four insurances and one fund' too.

What young people care about most is often the housing fund. It's like a piggy bank just for housing: whatever the employee pays in, the employer pays in too, and both go into the employee's own housing fund account. When you buy a home you can apply for a housing-fund mortgage, at a lower interest rate than an ordinary commercial loan; in many cities, people who rent can also take this money out to pay their rent. So for Cheng Yue, the 700 yuan taken off each month actually adds 1,400 yuan to her account.

Is it the same for foreigners? Under national rules, foreigners legally employed in China should also take part in social insurance; as for the housing fund, practice differs from place to place.

Of course, not everyone thinks it's a good deal. Some feel that money in their own hands gives them more freedom, especially young people who have just started work on a low salary; others see it as invisible long-term savings whose weight only shows when you fall ill, lose your job or retire. So when looking for a job, many people make a point of asking: 'Does it come with 五险一金?'

Later, Cheng Yue worked it out: most of those 1,700-odd yuan hadn't disappeared; they had just moved somewhere else, waiting for her future self. Next time your pay comes in, will you still look only at the number in the text message?