委员

• Pinyin: wěi yuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 委 = 禾 + 女 (entrust, delegate); 员 = 口 + 贝 (member, personnel)

Meaning

Committee member; delegate. A person who serves on an official committee, commission, or council with designated responsibilities.

Widely used in Chinese political, academic, and organizational contexts. In official settings, 委员 often refers to members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (政协委员) or similar deliberative bodies.

Examples

1. 他连续三届担任全国政协委员。 He served three consecutive terms as a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC.
2. 这次评审共邀请了十五名专业委员参与。 This review invited fifteen expert committee members to participate.
3. 新任委员将于下周正式宣誓就职。 The newly appointed committee members will officially take an oath of office next week.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, organization, government

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 她作为教育委员会委员，积极推动了多项课程改革。(As a member of the education committee, she actively promoted several curriculum reforms.)
• 全体委员须出席本次表决会议，缺席须提前报备。(All committee members must attend this voting session; absences must be reported in advance.)

Don't Say

• 他是我们公司的委员 — use 董事 for board directors or 成员 for general team members; 委员 implies membership in a formal deliberative or advisory body, not a general company role

Origin & History

委 (entrust, delegate) + 员 (member, person with a role)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal