历任 (lì rèn) — (verb phrase) to have served successively as (a series of posts)
Definition
Used when one person has held a series of different posts over time (a CV-style phrase), or to refer collectively to all previous holders of a single post. Often follows a title like 历任校长 ("all former presidents").
verb
(verb phrase) to have served successively as (a series of posts)
Easily confused
Examples
- 历任。Tā lì rèn guò duō gè zhòng yào de guó jiā zhí wù.He has held several important national posts successively.
- 历任、。Tā lì rèn mì shū, zhǔ rèn hé fù zǒng jīng lǐ.She has served successively as secretary, director, and deputy general manager.
- 历任。Zhè suǒ dà xué lì rèn xiào zhǎng dōu fēi cháng jié chū.All previous presidents of this university have been exceptionally outstanding.
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.
历 conveys successive or all previous, and 任 refers to an office or term, meaning served in posts in sequence.
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