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部门 (bù mén) — department; section; branch

Definition

部门 refers to a mid-to-large administrative department in a company or government, larger than a 科 (section) and more general than 室 (office/room). It's the standard term in workplace contexts like 哪个部门.

noun
departmentsectionbranch
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 部门。
    Zhè ge bù mén yǒu shí gè rén.
    This department has ten people.
  • 部门？
    Tā zài nǎ ge bù mén gōng zuò?
    Which department does he work in?
  • 部门。
    Wǒ men bù mén míng tiān kāi huì.
    Our department has a meeting tomorrow.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

部bùdivision
门méncategory

部 and 门 both refer to a division or category; together they mean a department.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
邑邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu部bù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Open 部 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 5Groups & OrganizationsWorkplace & Office2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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