启事

• Pinyin: qǐ shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 启 = 户 (door) + 口 (mouth), to inform; 事 = affair/matter

Meaning

Notice; announcement; public statement. A written notice posted or published to inform the public.

Used for formal public announcements: 招聘启事 (job posting), 寻人启事 (missing person notice), 遗失启事 (lost item notice), 征婚启事 (personal ad for marriage). More formal than 通知, typically published in newspapers or posted publicly.

Examples

1. 公司在报纸上登了一则招聘启事。 The company posted a job listing in the newspaper.
2. 他贴了一张寻猫启事在小区公告栏。 He posted a missing cat notice on the community bulletin board.
3. 这份遗失启事上写着物品的详细特征。 This lost item notice describes the detailed features of the item.

Usage Guide

Context: announcements, newspapers, public notices

Tone: official

Do Say

• 我在网上看到了他们的招聘启事。(I saw their job posting online.)
• 请帮我写一份寻物启事。(Please help me write a lost item notice.)

Don't Say

• 他给我发了一个启事。(For personal messages, use 通知 or 消息 — 启事 is for public announcements)

Origin & History

启 (qǐ, to inform/state) + 事 (shì, matter). A statement about a matter; an announcement.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal