Chinese word

公务

Pronunciation

Pinyingōng wù

Meaning

  • nounofficial business

Example

他因为有公务，所以没来。tā yīn wèi yǒu gōng wù suó yǐ méi lái

He did not come because he had official business.

Illustration for 公务 (official business)

More examples

领导让她明天办理公务，要准备相关材料。líng dǎo ràng tā míng tiān bàn lǐ gōng wù yào zhǔn bèi xiāng guān cái liào

Her supervisor asked her to handle official business tomorrow and prepare the relevant materials.

Core concept

Work carried out on behalf of an institution rather than for a person's private affairs.

Common phrases

  • 办理公务bàn lǐ gōng wù

    handle official business

  • 公务接待gōng wù jiē dài

    official reception

  • 公务活动gōng wù huó dòng

    official activities

Similar words

公事gōng shì: Formal affairs or tasks connected with a government office or public organization.
行政xíng zhèng: The work of managing government policies, public administration, or an organization's operations.
事务shì wù: Various matters and tasks dealt with during regular work.
工作gōng zuò: Work performed regularly as a job or personal occupation.

Definition in Chinese

属于公共、国家或单位职责范畴的正式事务或工作。shǔ yú gōng gòng guó jiā huò dān wèi zhí zé fàn chóu de zhèng shì shì wù huò gōng zuò

Word origin

公务 (gōngwù, "official business") is formed from 公 (gōng, "public") and 务 (wù, "duty"), so its parts point to duties belonging to a public or institutional role.

Usage tips

  • English can use business for many kinds of activity, but this Chinese word keeps the focus on an institutional role, making it useful in workplace and government settings.

Opposites

  • 私人事务sī rén shì wùprivate affairsnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word