公证员 (gōng zhèng yuán) — notary public

Definition

noun
notary public
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 公证员。
    Wǒ xū yào zhǎo yí wèi gōng zhèng yuán lái qiān míng.
    I need to find a notary public to sign.
  • 公证员。
    Zhè wèi gōng zhèng yuán hé shí le wǒ de shēn fèn zhèng míng.
    This notary public verified my identification.
  • 公证员，。
    Méi yǒu gōng zhèng yuán de yìn zhāng, zhè fèn wén jiàn wú xiào.
    Without the notary's seal, this document is invalid.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

公证notarization
公gōngpublic证zhèngproof
偏正Modifier + head
员yuánperson

公证 refers to public certification, and 员 denotes the person who performs it.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 證; 证 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
登
登dēng證zhèng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 證 pairs 言, a words/speech part, with 登 as a sound clue; the simplified 证 is a later shorthand.

Open 证 →

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 員; 员 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鼎鼎dǐngding
Sound part声符shēngfú
〇
〇líng員yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 員, 〇 supplies the sound and 鼎 supplies the meaning; the simplified 员 is a shortened form.

Open 员 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.