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职责 (zhí zé) — duty, responsibility

Definition

职责 names the duties tied to a specific role or post — 'the responsibilities of a lawyer, a manager, etc.' Use 责任 more broadly for any 'responsibility' including blame; 任务 is a concrete task, not a role's standing duties.

noun
dutyresponsibility
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 职责。
    Bǎo hù huán jìng shì měi gè rén de zhí zé.
    Protecting the environment is everyone's duty.
  • ，职责。
    Zuò wéi lǜ shī, tā de zhí zé shì wéi hù fǎ lǜ gōng zhèng.
    As a lawyer, his responsibility is to uphold legal justice.
  • ，职责。
    Nǐ jì rán jiē shòu le zhè ge zhí wèi, jiù yào lǚ xíng zhí zé.
    Since you accepted this position, you must fulfill your duties.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

职zhíduty
责zéresponsibility

职 and 责 both refer to duty and responsibility, forming a near-synonymous pair.

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 責; 责 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
朿
朿cì責zé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 責 pairs 貝, cowry/money, with 朿 as the sound part; the simplified 责 is a later shorthand.

Open 责 →
Appears in
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