书记 shūjì secretary
secretary (chief official of a branch of a socialist or communist party); clerk; scribe
How to remember 书记: 书 book + 记 remember = secretary.
Characters
How it is used
- In modern China, the Party secretary - the top official of a Party branch: 党委书记 (dǎngwěi shūjì) Party committee secretary, 村支书 (cūn zhīshū) village Party secretary.
- Do not read it as 'book record'; despite the characters, its live meaning is a political/organizational post.
- An older, minor sense is a clerk/scribe, now rare.