秘书

• Pinyin: mì shū
• Hanzi breakdown: 秘 = 禾 (grain) + 必 (must, phonetic) — confidential; 书 = simplified form of 書 — writing, documents

Meaning

Secretary; assistant. A person employed to assist with organizational and administrative tasks in an office.

Refers to a professional administrative role in business and government. Includes executive secretaries, personal assistants, and government secretaries. The role can range from clerical work to high-level administrative responsibilities. 秘书长 (secretary-general) is a leadership title in organizations.

Examples

1. 她是公司总经理的秘书。 She is the secretary to the company's general manager.
2. 秘书帮老板安排了明天的行程。 The secretary arranged tomorrow's schedule for the boss.
3. 他刚毕业就找到了一份秘书的工作。 He found a job as a secretary right after graduating.

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请联系我的秘书安排时间。(Please contact my secretary to arrange a time.)
• 她是一位非常能干的秘书。(She is a very capable secretary.)

Don't Say

• 叫你的秘书来 — using 叫 can sound commanding; use 请 (请你的秘书来) for a more polite and professional tone

Origin & History

秘 means 'secret' or 'confidential' and 书 means 'writing' or 'documents.' A secretary was originally someone who handled confidential documents.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal