总务 (zǒng wù) — (noun) general affairs (the department or function); (noun) person in charge of general affairs

Definition

总务 is the workplace term for the general affairs department — handling office supplies, vehicles, and logistics — or the person running it. Often used as a modifier: 总务部门 / 总务主任.

noun
general affairs (the department or function)person in charge of general affairs

Examples

  • 总务。
    zǒng wù Fù zé gōng sī de rì cháng bàn gōng yòng pǐn cǎi gòu.
    General affairs is responsible for the company's daily office supply purchasing.
  • 总务，。
    Wǒ zài zǒng wù bù mén gōng zuò le sān nián, duì hòu qín hěn shú xi.
    I worked in the general affairs department for three years and am very familiar with logistics.
  • 总务，。
    Qǐng zhǎo zǒng wù wáng zhǔ rèn, tā fù zé chē liàng diào dù.
    Please find Director Wang of general affairs; he's in charge of vehicle scheduling.

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.

总zǒngoverall
务wùaffairs

总 means overall and 务 means affairs, naming general affairs or the person handling them.

Characters in this word

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 總; 总 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
悤
悤cōng總zǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 總 has 糸, a rope, and 悤 as a sound part; the rope part is for binding together. This account is for 總, not for 总.

Open 总 →

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 →

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