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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Coordinate

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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