Chinese word

公务员

Pronunciation

Pinyingōng wù yuán

Meaning

  • nouncivil servant

Example

公务员的工作很稳定。gōng wù yuán de gōng zuò hěn wěn dìng

A civil servant's job is very stable.

Illustration for 公务员 (civil servant)

More examples

他决定考公务员。tā jué dìng kǎo gōng wù yuán

He decided to take the civil service exam.

Core concept

A person whose regular work keeps government affairs and public services running.

Common phrases

  • 当公务员dāng gōng wù yuán

    become a civil servant

  • 考公务员kǎo gōng wù yuán

    take the civil service exam

  • 做公务员zuò gōng wù yuán

    work as a civil servant

Similar words

官员guān yuán: A person in a government position who performs official public duties.
职员zhí yuán: A member of an organization who does office work or handles internal duties.
员工yuán gōng: A worker who receives wages from a company, shop, factory, or other business.

Definition in Chinese

在国家机关或公共部门从事行政、管理或公共服务工作的人员。zài guó jiā jī guān huò gōng gòng bù mén cóng shì xíng zhèng guán lǐ huò gōng gòng fú wù gōng zuò de rén yuán

Word origin

The compound combines 公 (gōng, "public") + 务 (wù, "affairs") + 员 (yuán, "person in a role"), so its parts point to a person employed in public administration.

Usage tips

  • A company owned by the state does not automatically count as a government employer, so its staff are not necessarily described by this word.

Other meanings

  • public officialnoun
  • administrative officernoun

Opposites

  • 企业职员qǐ yè zhí yuánenterprise employeenoun
  • 自由职业者zì yóu zhí yè zhěfreelancernoun

Related words

  • 公务gōng wùpublic affairsnoun
  • 公务员考试gōng wù yuán kǎo shìcivil service examnoun
  • 国家公务员guó jiā gōng wù yuánnational civil servantnoun

Word lists with this word