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处事 (chǔ shì) — to handle affairs; to deal with matters

Definition

处事 emphasizes a person's manner or principle for handling matters (处事风格/原则), often abstract. 办事 is the everyday verb 'to get things done'; 处置 adds the sense of punishing or disposing.

verb
to handle affairsto deal with matters

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā chǔ shì jīng yàn fēng fù, dà jiā dōu hěn xìn rèn tā.
    He has rich experience in handling affairs, and everyone trusts him.
  • 处事，。
    chǔ shì Yào lěng jìng, bù néng gǎn qíng yòng shì.
    You need to stay calm when dealing with matters and not act on emotion.
  • 处事，。
    Tā shàn yú chǔ shì, gōng sī lǐ de dà shì xiǎo shì dōu chǔ lǐ dé hěn hǎo.
    She is good at handling affairs and manages both big and small matters in the company well.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

处chùhandle
事shìaffairs

处 means handle, and 事 means affairs, so the word covers handling matters.

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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