官 guān — official; government
他是一位公正的法官。Tā shì yí wèi gōng zhèng de fǎ guān.He is a fair judge.
Common words: 法官 (fǎ guān)、官方 (guān fāng)、器官 (qì guān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "official"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "official", including 官 (guān), 臣 (chén), 兼 (jiān), 宰 (zǎi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "official" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 官 (guān), 臣 (chén), 兼 (jiān), 宰 (zǎi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span guān, chén, jiān, zǎi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 官 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 官 guānofficial; governmentUseful words: 法官, 官方
- 臣 chénstatesman; vassal; courtier; minister; officialUseful words: 大臣, 功臣
- 兼 jiāndouble; twice; simultaneous; holding two or more (official) posts at the same timeUseful words: 兼职, 统筹兼顾
- 宰 zǎislaughter; butcher; govern; rule; officialUseful words: 主宰, 任人宰割
Common words for these 4 "official" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 官 (guān) — so "official" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
法官fǎ guānjudge (in court)官方guān fānggovernment; official (approved or issued by an authority)器官qì guān(physiology) organ; apparatus大臣dà chénchancellor (of a monarchy); cabinet minister功臣gōng chénmeritorious official; person who renders exceptional service; hero; (fig.) sth that plays a vital role人臣rén chénan official (in former times)兼职jiān zhíto hold concurrent posts; concurrent job; moonlighting统筹兼顾tǒng chóu jiān gùan overall plan taking into account all factors兼顾jiān gùto handle two or more responsibilities at the same time; to balance (career and family, or work and studies etc)主宰zhǔ zǎito dominate; to rule; to dictate; master
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 4 ways to say "official".
臣 chén — statesman; vassal; courtier; minister; official
古时候，大臣要向皇帝行礼。Gǔ shí hou, dà chén yào xiàng huáng dì xíng lǐ.In ancient times, ministers had to bow to the emperor.
Common words: 大臣 (dà chén)、功臣 (gōng chén)、人臣 (rén chén)
兼 jiān — double; twice; simultaneous; holding two or more (official) posts at the same time
他一个人兼做好几份工作。Tā yí ge rén jiān zuò hǎo jǐ fèn gōng zuò.He does several jobs at the same time by himself.
Common words: 兼职 (jiān zhí)、统筹兼顾 (tǒng chóu jiān gù)、兼顾 (jiān gù)
宰 zǎi — slaughter; butcher; govern; rule; official
古代有一种官职叫宰相。Gǔ dài yǒu yì zhǒng guān zhí jiào zǎi xiàng.In ancient times, there was an official position called prime minister.
Common words: 主宰 (zhǔ zǎi)、任人宰割 (rèn rén zǎi gē)、宰了 (zǎi le)
All 4 characters
Open 官、臣、兼 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.