社

• Pinyin: shè
• Hanzi breakdown: 社 = 礻(spirit/altar) + 土 (earth)

Meaning

Society; organization; agency; commune.

A bound morpheme meaning society or organization, rarely used alone in modern Chinese. Appears in many compound words like 社会 (society), 报社 (newspaper agency), 合作社 (cooperative), 旅行社 (travel agency). Originally referred to the god of the land.

Examples

1. 他在一家出版社工作，负责编辑工作。 He works at a publishing house, handling editing work.
2. 这个旅行社的服务很好，价格也公道。 This travel agency has good service and fair prices.
3. 农村的合作社帮助农民提高了收入。 The rural cooperative helped farmers increase their income.

Usage Guide

Context: organizations, business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你在哪个报社工作？(Which newspaper agency do you work for?)
• 通讯社发布了最新消息。(The news agency released the latest news.)

Don't Say

• 我参加了一个社 — too vague; specify the type, like 社团 (club) or 合作社 (cooperative)

Origin & History

Contains 礻(altar/spirit radical) and 土 (earth), originally meaning the earth god or the altar where people gathered to worship it, later extending to organizations and societies.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal