Chinese word

私事

Pronunciation

Pinyinsī shì

Meaning

  • nounpersonal matters

Example

我有一些私事要处理，今天不能来。wǒ yǒu yì xiē sī shì yào chú lǐ jīn tiān bù néng lái

I have some personal matters to take care of, so I can't come today.

Illustration for 私事 (personal matters)

More examples

他因为私事错过了会议。tā yīn wèi sī shì cuò guò le huì yì

He missed the meeting because of personal matters.

Core concept

A person's own matter or difficulty that affects a public plan or commitment.

Common phrases

  • 处理私事chú lǐ sī shì

    deal with personal matters

  • 有私事要处理yǒu sī shì yào chú lǐ

    have personal matters to handle

Similar words

个人事务gè rén shì wù: Private affairs and tasks connected with one person's own needs.
隐私yǐn sī: Private details about a person that are meant to stay unknown to others.
私生活sī shēng huó: The personal side of someone's everyday life and routine.

Definition in Chinese

指个人需要处理的私人事务，常用于说明因私无法参加或需请假的情况。zhǐ gè rén xū yào chú lǐ de sī rén shì wù cháng yòng yú shuō míng yīn sī wú fǎ cān jiā huò xū qǐng jià de qíng kuàng

Word origin

私事 (sīshì, "personal affairs") is built from 私 (sī, "private") and 事 (shì, "matter"), linking the word directly to an individual's affairs.

Usage tips

  • Chinese can use this noun as a polite, general reason for missing an event or taking leave, while English often uses the broader phrase "personal reasons" in the same situation.

Other meanings

  • personal problemsnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word