肩负

• Pinyin: jiān fù
• Hanzi breakdown: 肩 = 尸 + 月 (shoulder — body joint); 负 = 人 + 贝 (person + shell/valuables — carrying something of value on one's back)

Meaning

To shoulder; to bear; to take on (responsibility, mission, or burden). Emphasises carrying a weighty obligation with a sense of duty.

A formal verb used in speeches, official writing, and literary prose. Implies a serious, weighty responsibility consciously taken on, often in service of a greater cause — nation, organisation, or community. Typically collocates with 使命 (mission), 责任 (responsibility), or 历史重任 (historical responsibility).

Examples

1. 这支科研团队肩负着攻克这一世界性难题的重要使命。 This research team shoulders the important mission of cracking this global challenge.
2. 年轻一代肩负着推动社会进步的历史责任。 The younger generation shoulders the historic responsibility of advancing social progress.
3. 他肩负重任，独自前往边疆地区开展援助工作。 Entrusted with a major task, he went alone to the border region to carry out aid work.

Usage Guide

Context: political speeches, official writing, journalism, literature, education

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 参与这项科研工程的人都明白，自己肩负的不只是技术任务，还有民族期待。(Everyone involved in this research project knows they shoulder not only a technical task, but also the nation's expectations.)
• 作为时代的亲历者，我们肩负着记录历史、评价当下、留下真实遗产的职责。(As witnesses of our era, we shoulder the duty of recording history, assessing the present, and leaving a true legacy.)

Don't Say

• 肩负 is formal and solemn — do not use it for trivial tasks or everyday burdens. For lighter responsibilities, use 承担 or 负责. 肩负 nearly always collocates with significant, often collective missions (历史使命, 重大责任), not personal or minor tasks.

Origin & History

肩 (shoulder) + 负 (to carry; to bear — 负 originally depicted a person carrying a load on their back)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal