聘请

• Pinyin: pìn qǐng
• Hanzi breakdown: 聘 = 耳 (ear) + 甹 (phonetic), to employ; 请 = to invite/request. To formally invite for employment.

Meaning

To hire; to employ; to engage (professional services).

Formal term for hiring, especially for professional or skilled positions. More formal than 雇 or 请. Common uses: 聘请律师 (hire a lawyer), 聘请顾问 (engage a consultant), 聘请教授 (appoint a professor). Implies respect for the hired person's expertise.

Examples

1. 公司聘请了一位资深顾问来优化管理流程。 The company hired a senior consultant to optimize management processes.
2. 学校聘请了几位外籍教师来教英语口语。 The school hired several foreign teachers to teach spoken English.
3. 我们打算聘请一位专业律师来处理这个案子。 We plan to hire a professional lawyer to handle this case.

Usage Guide

Context: business, academia, professional services

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 公司聘请了新的CEO。(The company hired a new CEO.)
• 我们聘请专家来解决这个问题。(We're hiring an expert to solve this problem.)

Don't Say

• 对临时工或基层岗位用聘请 (聘请 implies professional/skilled hiring — use 雇 or 请 for casual work)

Origin & History

Compound of 聘 (to engage/invite) + 请 (to invite/request). Formally inviting someone to serve.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal