任职 (rèn zhí) — to hold a post; to take office | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

任职 emphasizes holding or serving in a post, not the moment of starting. Unlike 就职 or 上任 (the act of assuming office), it focuses on the ongoing role — often with a duration (任职三年).

verb

to hold a postto take office

Examples

任职。
Tā qù nián kāi shǐ zài zhèng fǔ bù mén rèn zhí.
He started to hold a post in a government department last year.
任职，。
Tā zài zhè jiā gōng sī rèn zhí duō nián, jīng yàn fēng fù.
She has held a post in this company for many years and is experienced.
任职。
Tā rèn zhí sān nián hòu qù le guó wài shēn zào.
After holding the post for three years, he went abroad for further study.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

Taking office is shown by 任 'assume' together with 职 'post'.

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.

亻壬任

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

壬

壬rén任rèn

Same sound today

任 pairs 亻, a person, with 壬, which may picture a shoulder pole turned sideways.

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.

耳戠職

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Professions & Jobs

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