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雇主 (gù zhǔ) — employer

Definition

Formal written term for 'employer' (the company or person who hires workers). 老板 means 'boss' and is everyday/colloquial, often the owner of a small business; 雇员 is the opposite side — the employee.

noun
employer
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 雇主。
    Zhè wèi gù zhǔ duì yuán gōng hěn gōng píng.
    This employer is very fair to employees.
  • 雇主。
    Wǒ zài zhǎo yí gè xīn de gù zhǔ.
    I am looking for a new employer.
  • 雇主。
    Hǎo de gù zhǔ huì guān xīn yuán gōng de fú lì.
    A good employer cares about employee benefits.

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.

雇gùhire
主zhǔmaster

雇 means hire, and 主 means master or person in charge, so it names the person who hires.

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
隹隹zhuī
Sound part声符shēngfú
戶
戶hù雇gù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

雇 is made of 戶 and 隹: 戶 points to the sound, and 隹 points to the meaning.

Open 雇 →

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Social Roles & Status

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