失职 (shī zhí) — to neglect one's duty, to fail to fulfill one's…

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to neglect one's duty / fail in one's responsibilities,' typically used for officials, employees, or professionals held to a standard. Stronger and more formal than everyday '疏忽,' which covers any careless mistake.

verb

to neglect one's duty, to fail to fulfill one's responsibility

Examples

失职。
Tā yīn wèi shī zhí bèi gōng sī kāi chú le.
He was fired by the company for neglecting his duty.
，。
Dāng le èr shí nián jǐng chá, tā cóng méi shī guò yí cì zhí.
Having been a police officer for twenty years, he has never once neglected his duty.
失职。
Zhè cì shì gù wán quán shì yuán gōng shī zhí zào chéng de.
This accident was entirely caused by an employee's neglect of duty.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

失shīlose

职zhíduty

失 means to fail or neglect and 职 means duty, together meaning to neglect one's duty.

Characters in this word

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

手手shǒu
乙乙yǐ

The shape is explained as a fallen person's footprint surrounded by drops of blood; another reading pairs 手 (hand) and 乙 to show something falling from a hand.

Open 失 →

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 職; 职 is its simplified writing.

耳戠職

Meaning part形符xíngfú

耳耳ěrear

Sound part声符shēngfú

戠

戠zhí職zhí

Same sound today

The traditional form 職 pairs 耳 (ear) with 戠, which gives its sound; the simplified 职 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 职 →