转业 (zhuǎn yè) — to be transferred to civilian work (military context); to change one's career or trade

Definition

Military and institutional term: a service member is reassigned to civilian work. Broader uses (e.g. switching trades) are an extension of this sense — the core idea is moving from one profession to another, not a casual job change.

verb
to be transferred to civilian work (military context)to change one's career or trade

Examples

  • 转业。
    Tā dāng bīng shí nián hòu zhuǎn yè le.
    He was transferred to civilian work after ten years in the military.
  • ，。
    Wǒ fù qīn zhuǎn le yí cì yè, cóng jiào shī biàn chéng le gōng chéng shī.
    My father changed career once, from teacher to engineer.
  • 转业，。
    Hěn duō rén zhōng nián zhuǎn yè, kāi shǐ zuò wán quán bù tóng de gōng zuò.
    Many people change careers in middle age and start doing completely different work.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

转zhuǎnchange/transfer
业yètrade/occupation

“转” conveys changing or transferring and “业” conveys a trade or occupation, so the word means to change one's career.

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 轉; 转 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūcarriage
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān轉zhuǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 轉 combines 車, a carriage, with 專 as a sound part; the simplified 转 is a later shorthand.

Open 转 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 業; 业 is its simplified writing.

  • 丵丵zhuóchisel
  • 大大dàperson; big

The traditional 業 is explained as a picture of a beam from which bells and chimes hang, or as a person lifting that beam. The simplified 业 is a shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 业 →

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