主任 zhǔrèn director
director; head
How to remember 主任: 主 lord + 任 to trust = director.
Characters
How it is used
- A title placed after the unit it heads: 系主任 (department head), 主任医生 (chief physician).
- Learners meet it early in 班主任 (bānzhǔrèn), the homeroom teacher - one of the most common words built on 主任.
- Functions as a job title, not a verb - you 担任主任 (serve as director), you don't "主任" something.
Example sentences
- 主任总结了发言。 Zhǔrèn zǒngjiéle fāyán.The director summarized the presentations.
- 在主任不在的时候，办公室由谁来负责？ Zài zhǔrèn bú zài de shíhòu, bàngōngshì yóushuílái fùzé?Who is in charge of the office while the boss is away?