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职称 (zhí chēng) — professional title (in a formal ranking system, e.g., professor, senior engineer)

Definition

职称 is a professional title earned through an official ranking system (e.g., 工程师, 教授). Unlike 职位 or 职务, which refer to a job post, 职称 measures professional rank and is awarded by assessment.

noun
professional title (in a formal ranking system, e.g., professor, senior engineer)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 职称。
    Tā huā le shí nián shí jiān cái píng shàng zhèng gāo jí zhí chēng.
    It took him ten years to be rated as a senior professional title.
  • 职称。
    Bào kǎo zhè ge gǎng wèi xū yào zhōng jí yǐ shàng zhí chēng.
    Applying for this position requires at least an intermediate professional title.
  • 职称。
    Měi gè gāo jiào duì zhí chēng píng dìng dōu yǒu zì jǐ de biāo zhǔn.
    Each university has its own criteria for professional title evaluation.

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.

职zhíjob
称chēngtitle

职 refers to a job or position, and 称 refers to a title, so the sense is a professional title.

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 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 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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