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称职 (chèn zhí) — competent for a job; qualified; to fill a post with credit

Definition

称职 (chènzhí) describes a person doing their job well — competent and deserving of the role. It is a state-of-being judgment about job performance, not about having the right skills on paper.

verb
competent for a jobqualifiedto fill a post with credit

Examples

  • 称职。
    Tā hěn chèn zhí.
    He is very competent.
  • 。
    Tā chēng bù liǎo zhè ge zhí.
    He is not competent for this post.
  • 称职？
    Nǐ jué de tā chèn zhí ma?
    Do you think he is competent?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

称chēngfit
职zhípost

称 (fit) and 职 (post) combine to mean fitting one's post.

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 稱; 称 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hérice
Sound part声符shēngfú
爯
爯chēng稱chēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 稱 pairs 禾 (rice) with 爯, a part giving the sound; it is explained as measuring rice. The simplified 称 is a later shorthand.

Open 称 →

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 →
Appears in
Professions & JobsGood & Bad

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