职介所 (zhí jiè suǒ) — job placement agency, employment agency

Definition

Short for 职业介绍所 — an office that helps people find jobs or workers. The term 介绍所 also applies to matchmaking agencies (婚姻介绍所).

noun
job placement agencyemployment agency
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 职介所。
    Tā tōng guò zhí jiè suǒ zhǎo dào le yí fèn xīn gōng zuò.
    He found a new job through a job placement agency.
  • 职介所，。
    Zhè jiā zhí jiè suǒ de fú wù hěn hǎo, tuī jiàn le hěn duō gōng zuò.
    This employment agency has great service and recommended many jobs.
  • ，职介所。
    Shī yè hòu, tā qù zhí jiè suǒ dēng jì le xìn xī.
    After losing his job, he went to the employment agency to register his information.

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.

职介job introduction
职zhíjob介jièintroduce
偏正Modifier + head
所suǒplace

职介 points to job introduction, and 所 is the place where that happens.

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 職; 职 is its simplified writing.

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 →

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

介 shows a central human form with two marks around it, indicating being between.

Open 介 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīnaxe
Sound part声符shēngfú
戶
戶hù所suǒ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

所 pairs 斤, an axe, with 戶, which gives the sound hù; the old meaning was the sound of logging.

Open 所 →

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