Meaning of 公务员
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- civil servant; public servant
How to use 公务员
公务员 refers to people who work for the government, and in China it is often seen as a stable, respected job. People talk about taking the civil service exam, 考公务员 (kǎo gōngwùyuán). Example: 我哥哥是公务员。(Wǒ gēge shì gōngwùyuán.) My older brother is a civil servant.
Break it into three parts: 公 (gōng) public, 务 (wù) affairs or duties, and 员 (yuán) a member or person. A 公务员 is a person who handles public affairs, which is a civil servant.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 服务员 (fúwùyuán) when they mean 公务员. 服务员 is a waiter or attendant, so mixing them up changes the job completely. Also keep 务 (wù) in the fourth tone. Do not confuse it with 物 (wù) thing, which sounds the same.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
公 gōng · public · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
务 wù · affairs · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
员 yuán · person engaged in a certain field of ac… · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 公务员.
| 公司 | gōngsī | company; firm; corporation |
| 办公室 | bàngōngshì | office; business premises |
| 公平 | gōngpíng | fair; impartial |
| 服务 | fúwù | to serve; service |
| 公园 | gōngyuán | park (for public recreation) |
| 公里 | gōnglǐ | kilometer |
| 公路 | gōnglù | highway; road |
| 公斤 | gōngjīn | kilogram (kg) |
| 公交车 | gōngjiāochē | public transport vehicle; town bus |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | bus |
| 任务 | rènwu | mission; assignment; task; duty; role |
| 人员 | rényuán | staff; crew |
Questions about 公务员
What does 公务员 mean?
公务员 (gōngwùyuán) means "civil servant; public servant" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 公务员?
公务员 is made of 3 characters: 公 (4 strokes), 务 (5 strokes), 员 (7 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 公务员 an HSK word?
Yes. 公务员 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 公务员 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 公务员 is written 公務員.
What does 考公 mean?
考公 (kǎo gōng) is a common short form of 考公务员, meaning to take the civil service exam. You will hear it often when young Chinese people discuss their career plans.
Is 公务员 the same as a government official?
Not exactly. 公务员 is a broad term for anyone employed in the civil service, from office clerks to managers. A higher-ranking official is usually called 官员 (guānyuán).