事 shì — matter; thing; item; work; affair
我有一件事想问你。Wǒ yǒu yí jiàn shì xiǎng wèn nǐ.I have something to ask you.
Common words: 没事儿 (méi shì r)、事情 (shì qing)、故事 (gù shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "affair"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "affair", including 事 (shì), 务 (wù), 勾 (gōu / gòu). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "affair" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 事 (shì), 务 (wù), 勾 (gōu / gòu) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shì, wù, gōu, gòu — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 事 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 事 shìmatter; thing; item; work; affairUseful words: 没事儿, 事情
- 务 wùaffair; business; matterUseful words: 服务, 服务员
- 勾 gōu / gòuto cancel; to delineate; hook; affair; to reach for (with hand)Useful words: 勾结, 勾画
Common words for these 3 "affair" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 事 (shì) — so "affair" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
没事儿méi shì rto have spare time; free from work; it's not important; it's nothing事情shì qingaffair; matter; thing; business故事gù shìold practice服务fú wùto serve; service服务员fú wù yuánwaiter; waitress; attendant; customer service personnel任务rèn wumission; assignment; task; duty勾结gōu jiéto collude with; to collaborate with; to gang up with勾画gōu huàto sketch out; to delineate勾人gōu rénsexy; seductive
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "affair".
务 wù — affair; business; matter
这是我们必须完成的任务。Zhè shì wǒ men bì xū wán chéng de rèn wu.This is the task we must complete.
Common words: 服务 (fú wù)、服务员 (fú wù yuán)、任务 (rèn wu)
勾 gōu / gòu — to cancel; to delineate; hook; affair; to reach for (with hand)
请把正确的答案勾出来。Qǐng bǎ zhèng què de dá àn gōu chū lái.Please tick the correct answer.
Common words: 勾结 (gōu jié)、勾画 (gōu huà)、勾人 (gōu rén)
All 3 characters
Open 事、务、勾 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.