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办公室 (bàn gōng shì) — office

Definition

办公室 (bàn gōng shì) is the everyday word for 'office' — the standard room or workspace where you do your job. 室 by itself is the suffix for any room (教室 'classroom', 卧室 'bedroom'), while 办事处 is a branch office or agency.

noun
office
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 办公室。
    Wǒ de bàn gōng shì zài èr lóu.
    My office is on the second floor.
  • 办公室。
    Zhè jiān bàn gōng shì lǐ yǒu sān zhāng zhuō zi.
    There are three desks in this office.
  • 办公室。
    Tā měi tiān zài bàn gōng shì lǐ gōng zuò.
    He works in the office every day.

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.

办公handle official business
办bànhandle公gōngofficial business
动宾Verb + object
室shìroom

The first two parts mean handle official business, and the last means room; together they name a room for that work.

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.

Open 办 →

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.

Open 公 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
至
至zhì室shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

室 puts 宀 (roof) over 至, the spot where someone stops, giving the meaning of a house or residence.

Open 室 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3HSK 2.0 Level 31000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsWorkplace & Office2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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