业务 (yè wù) — business; professional work; service

Definition

Refers to a company or person's specific work activities or service line (海外业务, 新业务). 行业 is the broader industry/sector, while 商业 is commerce in general.

noun

businessprofessional workservice

Measure word · 项

Examples

业务。
Wǒ men gōng sī zuì jìn jiē dào le yí xiàng xīn yè wù.
Our company recently got a new piece of business.
业务。
Tā fù zé gōng sī de hǎi wài yè wù.
He is in charge of the company's overseas operations.
业务。
Zhè xiàng yè wù xū yào nǐ qīn zì chǔ lǐ.
You need to handle this piece of business personally.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

业yèbusiness

务wùaffairs

业 and 务 both point to work or affairs, so together they mean the tasks and services of a profession.

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 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 →

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 →

Appears in