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从业 (cóng yè) — to work in (a profession or industry), to be engaged in

Definition

从业 focuses on actively working in a profession or industry, emphasizing ongoing practice. Unlike 就业 ('getting a job'), it stresses being engaged in the field rather than finding employment.

verb
to work in (a profession or industry)to be engaged in

Examples

  • 从业。
    Tā zài jiào yù háng yè cóng yè le shí nián.
    He has been working in the education industry for ten years.
  • 从业。
    Tā ná dào le cóng yè zī gé zhèng.
    He obtained the practice qualification certificate.
  • 从业。
    Hěn duō rén xuǎn zé cóng yè yī liáo háng yè.
    Many people choose to work in the medical industry.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

从cóngtake up
业yèprofession

从 means 'take up' or 'follow', and 业 means 'profession', so it means to work in a field.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 從; 从 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
从
从cóng從cóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 從 pairs 辵 (walk) with 从, which gives the sound; the character was originally written 从.

Open 从 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 業; 业 is its simplified writing.

  • 丵丵zhuóchisel
  • 大大dàperson; big

The traditional 業 is explained as a picture of a beam from which bells and chimes hang, or as a person lifting that beam. The simplified 业 is a shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 业 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Professions & JobsWorkplace & Office

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