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例行公事 (lì xíng gōng shì) — routine business; task done as a mere formality

Definition

A fixed task done out of habit or rule, with no real substance — emphasizes the empty, perfunctory side. Often implies 'just going through the motions'.

noun
routine businesstask done as a mere formality

Examples

  • 例行公事。
    Měi tiān xiě gōng zuò bào gào duì tā lái shuō zhǐ shì lì xíng gōng shì.
    Writing a work report every day is just a routine formality for him.
  • 例行公事，。
    Zhè xiē ān quán jiǎn chá yǐ jīng biàn chéng le lì xíng gōng shì, méi rén rèn zhēn zhí xíng.
    These safety inspections have become a mere routine; nobody carries them out seriously.
  • ，例行公事，。
    Huì yì kāi dé hěn cháng, dàn dà duō shì lì xíng gōng shì, méi yǒu shí zhì nèi róng.
    The meeting was long, but most of it was routine business with no substantive content.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

例行routine
例lìrule行xíngcarry out
偏正Modifier + head
公事official business
公gōngpublic事shìmatter
偏正Modifier + head

例行 means carried out by rule, and 公事 means official business; together they describe routine official matters.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
列
列liè例lì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

例 is built from 亻, which relates to people, and 列, which gives the sound.

Open 例 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

Open 公 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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