本职工作 (běn zhí gōng zuō) — one's own job; one's duty; the work one is primarily responsible for

Definition

noun
one's own jobone's dutythe work one is primarily responsible for

Examples

  • 本职工作。
    Tā de běn zhí gōng zuō shì guǎn lǐ gōng sī cái wù.
    His own job is to manage the company's finances.
  • 本职工作。
    Zuò hǎo běn zhí gōng zuō shì měi gè yuán gōng de zé rèn.
    Doing one's own job well is the responsibility of every employee.
  • 本职工作。
    Tā yì zhí bǎ běn zhí gōng zuō fàng zài dì yī wèi.
    She always puts her own job first.

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.

本职one's own duties
本běnown职zhíduty
偏正Modifier + head
工作work
工gōngwork作zuòwork
联合Side by side

本职 means one's own duties and 工作 means work, together naming the job one is responsible for.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Open 本 →

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.

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.

Open 职 →

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

The shape of 工 is a picture of a bladed tool used to plow ground or mark a border; some read it as a carpenter's square.

Open 工 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →
Appears in
Professions & JobsWorkplace & Office

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