公事

• Pinyin: gōng shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 公 = 八 + 厶 — open, public; 事 = 口 + 亅 + 彐 — matter, affair

Meaning

Official business; work-related affairs. Tasks or matters conducted in one's professional or official capacity, as opposed to personal matters.

Contrasted with 私事 (private/personal matters). The idiom 公事公办 means to handle official matters strictly by the rules without granting personal favours. Used in formal and bureaucratic contexts to describe duties performed in one's official role.

Examples

1. 他以公事繁忙为由推掉了老友的聚会邀请。 He turned down an old friend's dinner invitation, citing heavy work obligations.
2. 公事公办，私交再好也不能在审批上破例。 Business is business—no matter how close the personal relationship, there can be no exceptions in the approval process.
3. 这次出差是为了处理一批积压已久的公事。 This trip was to deal with a backlog of official matters that had been piling up for a long time.

Usage Guide

Context: work, administration, official duties

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他利用出差机会同时处理了几件公事。(He used the business trip as an opportunity to handle several official matters at the same time.)
• 局长公事繁多，请您预约后再来拜访。(The bureau chief has many official duties; please make an appointment before visiting.)

Don't Say

• 用'公事'泛指所有工作任务 — use 工作 for general work tasks; 公事 specifically refers to official or institutional duties

Origin & History

公 (official/public) + 事 (matter/affair)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Professional