聘任

• Pinyin: pìn rèn
• Hanzi breakdown: 聘 = 耳 + 甹 (ear + summon — formal selection); 任 = 亻 + 壬 (person + burden — to bear responsibility in a role)

Meaning

To formally appoint someone to a specific position; to hire and install in an official capacity with defined responsibilities. More formal and specific than 聘用.

聘任 is used in institutional contexts — universities, government bodies, state enterprises. 聘任制 = appointment system (as opposed to permanent civil-service tenure). Common in official announcements: 经董事会决定，聘任某某为总经理.

Examples

1. 经大学学术委员会审议通过，学校正式聘任这位在分子生物学领域享有国际声誉的学者担任特聘教授。 After review and approval by the university’s academic committee, the university formally appointed this internationally renowned molecular biology scholar as a specially appointed professor.
2. 此次聘任打破了本部门长期论资排辈的惯例，充分体现了以能力为导向的人才选拔机制的改革精神。 This appointment broke with the department’s long-standing practice of promoting strictly by seniority, fully reflecting the reform spirit of a talent-selection system guided by ability.
3. 新聘任的首席技术官将全面负责公司核心技术平台的战略规划与研发团队的统筹管理工作。 The newly appointed chief technology officer will take overall responsibility for the strategic planning of the company’s core technology platform and the coordinated management of its R&D teams.

Usage Guide

Context: academia, government, corporate governance, HR

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 国务院宣布聘任多位来自科技和产业界的知名专家担任国家科学技术顾问委员会委员，为国家创新战略的制定提供智力支持。(The State Council announced the appointment of several well-known experts from the technology and industrial sectors as members of the National Science and Technology Advisory Committee, providing intellectual support for the formulation of the national innovation strategy.)
• 按照现行的聘任制度，高校教师每五年须接受一次综合绩效考核，考核结果直接影响其职称晋升和合同续签。(Under the current appointment system, university faculty must undergo a comprehensive performance review every five years, and the results directly affect their promotion in academic rank and contract renewal.)

Don't Say

• 聘任 specifically involves assigning someone to a defined post — do not use it for casual or informal work arrangements; 雇佣 or 临时用工 are more appropriate for those contexts

Origin & History

聘 (to engage/hire formally) + 任 (to appoint, to hold a position — 人 person + 壬 to bear a load of responsibility)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal