理事

• Pinyin: lǐ shì
• Hanzi breakdown: 理 = 王 + 里 (jade + village — to polish jade; to manage); 事 = 事 (affair/matter — things to be done)

Meaning

A director or board member; to manage affairs. Refers to a member of a governing board of an organisation, or the act of handling and managing matters.

Commonly seen in organisational contexts: 理事会 (board of directors), 理事长 (chairman of the board), 常务理事 (executive director). As a verb, it means to handle or manage affairs, though this usage is less common in modern Chinese.

Examples

1. 她被选举为协会的常务理事，负责统筹协调各项日常工作。 She was elected an executive board member of the association and is responsible for coordinating day-to-day work.
2. 联合国安理会的五个常任理事国在国际事务中拥有举足轻重的影响力。 The five permanent members of the UN Security Council wield enormous influence in international affairs.
3. 他多年来担任基金会理事，为公益慈善事业做出了重要贡献。 He has served as a board member of the foundation for many years and has made important contributions to public welfare and charity.

Usage Guide

Context: organisations, governance, institutions, NGOs

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 理事会一致通过了这项提案，标志着机构改革正式进入实施阶段。(The board of directors unanimously passed this proposal, marking the official entry of institutional reform into the implementation phase.)
• 作为独立理事，她有责任对公司的重大决策进行客观、公正的审议和监督。(As an independent director, she has the responsibility to objectively and fairly review and supervise the company's major decisions.)

Don't Say

• 我理事这件事 — while grammatically possible, this verb usage is archaic; use 我处理这件事 instead

Origin & History

理 (manage/reason) + 事 (affairs/matters)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal