The term **临时工** (línshígōng) is a compound noun formed by combining the modifier **临时** (línshí), meaning "temporary" or "for the time being," with the root noun **工** (gōng), meaning "worker" or "laborer." In this standard syntactic structure common in Mandarin, the descriptive element (临时) is placed before the core noun (工) to specify its type, resulting in the straightforward meaning of "temporary worker"—an employee hired for a short-term, non-permanent role, often without the long-term benefits or contracts of regular staff.