尽义务 (jìn yì wù) — to fulfill one's duty / obligation; to volunteer; to work without reward

Definition

尽义务 covers both senses in one phrase: doing what your role requires (duty) and doing work for free (volunteer). In the latter sense it pairs with places like 养老院 or 社区.

verb
to fulfill one's duty / obligationto volunteerto work without reward

Examples

  • 尽义务。
    Měi gè gōng mín dōu yīng gāi jìn yì wù.
    Every citizen should do their duty.
  • ，。
    Tā jìn le yí cì yì wù, méi yǒu yào rèn hé bào chou.
    He fulfilled an obligation once and asked for no compensation.
  • 尽义务。
    Zhōu mò wǒ men qù yǎng lǎo yuàn jìn yì wù.
    On weekends we go to the nursing home to volunteer.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

尽jìnfulfill
义务duty
义yìrighteous务wùaffairs
偏正Modifier + head

尽 means fulfill, 义务 means duty; together to do one's duty.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盡; 尽 is its simplified writing.

  • 聿聿yùhand holding a brush
  • 灬灬huǒbristles
  • 皿皿mǐndish

The traditional form 盡 shows 聿 (hand holding a brush) and 灬 (bristles) over 皿 (dish), cleaning a dish until it is empty. The simplified 尽 is a shorthand, not those historical parts.

Open 尽 →

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 義; 义 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
羊羊yáng
Sound part声符shēngfú
我
我wǒ義yì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 義 has 我 giving the sound and 羊 meaning good or auspicious; the simplified 义 is a later abbreviation.

Open 义 →

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 務; 务 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
敄
敄wù務wù
Same sound today

In the traditional form 務, 力 shows the sense of strength or effort, while 敄 gives the sound. The simplified 务 is a later shorthand.

Open 务 →

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