务 wù affairs
working at; affairs; business; duty
How to remember 务: 夂 pursue + 力 power = affairs. The young baker pursues her dream of her own shop with all the power she has, sorting out its affairs long after midnight.
Component breakdown
务 = 夂 pursue + 力 power
- 夂 pursue
- 力 power
The young baker pursues her dream of her own shop with all the power she has, sorting out its affairs long after midnight.
How it came to be
The full form is a spear with a hand and a rod beside it, over strength. Somebody driven to work at something: a duty, the affairs that must be seen to.
How it is used
- A bound morpheme meaning "affairs, business, duty" - never used alone, it labels a domain of work: 服务 (fúwù) service, 任务 (rènwu) task, 业务 (yèwù) business operations.
- The 务-员 (wùyuán) slot names staff-by-duty: 乘务员 (chéngwùyuán) flight attendant, 公务员 (gōngwùyuán) civil servant, 服务员 (fúwùyuán) waiter.
- 义务 (yìwù) = duty/obligation and 家务 (jiāwù) = housework show its "unpaid, required tasks" flavor.
Characters built with 务
Words with 务
- 服务fúwùto serveHSK 3
- 任务rènwua missionHSK 4
- 业务yèwùbusinessHSK 5
- 义务yìwùdutyHSK 5
- 乘务员chéngwùyuánattendant on an airplane, train, boat etcHSK 5
- 公务员gōngwùyuáncivil servantHSK 5
- 商务shāngwùcommercial affairsHSK 5
- 家务jiāwùhousehold dutiesHSK 5
- 事务shìwùaffairsHSK 6
- 职务zhíwùpostHSK 6
- 财务cáiwùfinancial affairsHSK 6
- 事务所shìwùsuǒbusiness officeHSK 7
- 公务gōngwùofficial businessHSK 7
- 务实wùshíto deal with concrete mattersHSK 7
- 务工wùgōngto work as a laborerHSK 7
- 务必wùbìmustHSK 7
- 医务yīwùmedical affairsHSK 7
- 国务院guówùyuànState CouncilHSK 7
- 当务之急dāngwùzhījítop priority jobHSK 7
- 债务zhàiwùdebtHSK 8
- 劳务láowùservice (work done for money)HSK 8
- 服务器fúwùqìserver (computer)HSK 9
- 税务shuìwùtaxation servicesHSK 9
Example sentences
- 他是这里的服务员。 Tā shì zhèlǐ de fúwùyuán.He is a waiter here.
- 工人为社会服务。 Gōngrén wèi shèhuì fúwù.Workers serve society.
- 她们提供电话服务。 Tāmen tígōng diànhuà fúwù.They provide telephone service.
- 他们的服务质量很差。 Tāmen de fúwù zhìliàng hěn chà.The quality of their service is poor.