办公 (bàn gōng) — to work (in an office); to handle office busine…

Definition

办公 means doing office/business work — emphasizes the activity itself, unlike 上班 which means going to work or being on the job.

verb

to work (in an office)to handle office business

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

公gōngofficial business

The first part means handle, and the second means official business; together they describe working in an office.

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 辦; 办 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìstrength

Sound part声符shēngfú

辡

辡biàn辦bàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 辦 combines 力 (strength) with 辡, which gives the sound; the simplified 办 is a later shorthand.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

Appears in