任期

• Pinyin: rèn qī
• Hanzi breakdown: 任 = 亻+ 壬 (person carrying responsibility); 期 = 其 + 月 (moon cycle = a period of time)

Meaning

Term of office; the fixed period during which a person holds an official position or role.

Used in political, corporate, and institutional contexts. Often collocates with 届满 (expire/end of term), 连任 (serve consecutive terms), or 延长 (extend). Standard terms are defined by law or charter for most positions.

Examples

1. 市长的任期为四年，可连任一届。 The mayor’s term is four years and can be renewed once.
2. 他在任期内推动了多项重要的改革措施。 During his term, he pushed through a number of major reform measures.
3. 任期届满后，她选择回归学术界，专心从事研究工作。 After her term ended, she chose to return to academia and focus on research.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, organisations, law

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 该职位任期为两年，届满后须重新申请。(The position has a two-year term; upon expiry, the application must be resubmitted.)
• 在漫长的任期中，他始终坚守廉洁奉公的原则。(Throughout his long term in office, he consistently upheld the principle of integrity and public service.)

Don't Say

• 他的任期时间很长 — use 他的任期很长 directly; 时间 is redundant since 期 already denotes a span of time

Origin & History

任 (serve/hold office) + 期 (period/term)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal