Chinese word

上司

Pronunciation

Pinyinshàng sī

Meaning

  • nounboss

Example

我今天要和上司开会。wǒ jīn tiān yào hé shàng sī kāi huì

I have a meeting with my boss today.

Illustration for 上司 (boss)

More examples

她去年晋升为上司，负责一个五人团队。tā qù nián jìn shēng wèi shàng sī fù zé yí gè wǔ rén tuán duì

She was promoted to supervisor last year and is in charge of a five-person team.

Core concept

The person positioned above a worker in a workplace chain of command, directing the worker's duties.

Common phrases

  • 晋升为上司jìn shēng wèi shàng sī

    be promoted to supervisor

  • 被上司表扬bèi shàng sī biǎo yáng

    be praised by one's supervisor

  • 与上司发生冲突yǔ shàng sī fā shēng chōng tū

    clash with one's supervisor

Similar words

领导líng dǎo: A leader who sets a group's direction and guides its people and work.
老板láo bǎn: The owner or operator of a shop or company who makes important business decisions.
经理jīng lǐ: A manager who runs a company or department and coordinates employees' work.
上级shàng jí: A higher-ranking person in an organization who gives instructions and evaluates people below them.

Definition in Chinese

在组织或工作单位中，职位比自己高、对自己有指挥或管理权的人。zài zǔ zhī huò gōng zuò dān wèi zhōng zhí wèi bǐ zì jǐ gāo duì zì jǐ yǒu zhǐ huī huò guán lǐ quán de rén

Word origin

上 (shàng, "above") + 司 (sī, "to manage") combines the ideas of higher rank and directing affairs in the workplace.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 上司 (shàngsī, "superior") usually describes a superior rather than serving as a form of address, so a name or job title is more natural when speaking to that person.

Other meanings

  • supervisornoun
  • superiornoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 直属上司zhí shǔ shàng sīdirect supervisornoun

Word lists with this word