局长

• Pinyin: jú zhǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 局 = 尸 (body) + 句 (phrase); 长 = pictograph of a person with long hair, meaning 'long' or 'chief'

Meaning

Bureau director; chief of a bureau. A title for the head of a government bureau or department.

A formal title used in Chinese government administration for officials who head bureaus at various levels. Common bureaus include the Public Security Bureau, Tax Bureau, and Education Bureau. Roughly equivalent to a director or commissioner in Western government structures.

Examples

1. 新任公安局长昨天正式上任了。 The new Public Security Bureau director officially took office yesterday.
2. 教育局长在会议上宣布了改革方案。 The Education Bureau director announced the reform plan at the meeting.
3. 他父亲以前是税务局的局长。 His father used to be the director of the Tax Bureau.

Usage Guide

Context: government, official, news

Tone: respectful

Do Say

• 请问局长今天有空吗？(Excuse me, is the director available today?)
• 局长批准了我们的申请。(The bureau chief approved our application.)

Don't Say

• 喂，局长！(Don't address a bureau director so casually — use proper honorifics like 局长 or 您好，局长)

Origin & History

局 (jú, bureau/office) + 长 (zhǎng, head/chief). Standard pattern for official titles in Chinese.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Professional/Official