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上任 (shàng rèn) — (verb) to take office, to assume a post; (noun) previous officeholder, predecessor

Definition

上任 can mean both 'to take office' (verb) and 'predecessor / former officeholder' (noun, like 前任). For 'take office' alone, 就职/就任 are more formal and common in written contexts.

verb
to take officeto assume a post
noun
previous officeholderpredecessor

Examples

  • 上任。
    Xīn lái de shì zhǎng xià ge yuè shàng rèn.
    The new mayor will take office next month.
  • 上任，。
    Zhè wèi shì shàng rèn de jīng lǐ, yǐ jīng tuì xiū le.
    This is the previous manager; he has already retired.
  • 上任，。
    Tā shàng rèn yǐ hòu, gōng sī yè jì míng xiǎn shàng shēng.
    After he took office, the company's performance improved significantly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

上shàngto take
任rènpost

The sense of 上 as taking combines with 任 as a post to show assuming office.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
壬
壬rén任rèn
Same sound today

任 pairs 亻, a person, with 壬, which may picture a shoulder pole turned sideways.

Open 任 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Professions & JobsWorkplace & Office

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