外务 (wài wù) — foreign affairs; external affairs (of a nation); matters outside one's job or responsibilities; (colloquial, pejorative) shady dealings; underhand activities
Definition
Literally 'outside affairs'. In formal/official use it means a nation's foreign affairs; colloquially it means tasks outside one's actual job — i.e. being pulled away to do unrelated work.
noun
foreign affairsexternal affairs (of a nation)matters outside one's job or responsibilities(colloquial, pejorative) shady dealingsunderhand activities
Examples
- 外务。Zhè wèi guān yuán cháng qī cóng shì wài wù gōng zuò.This official has long been engaged in foreign affairs work.
- 外务，。Shàng bān shí jiān zuò wài wù, huì bèi lǐng dǎo pī píng.Doing personal matters during work hours will be criticized by the boss.
- 外务，。Zhè ge rén jīng cháng gǎo yì xiē wài wù huó dòng, ràng rén jué de bù kě xìn rèn.This person often engages in some shady activities, making people feel untrustworthy.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.