人事
rénshì · HSK 7
ways of the world
🧑💼📋 人 (person) + 事 (affair/matter) = human affairs, the staff who handle people = personnel
Literally person-matters. The two senses split from one idea: 事 as office affairs gives personnel (HR), while 人事 as the matters of people gives ways of the world and what is humanly possible.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.
事 — hand 又 holding a banner/tablet on a pole
Originally a pictograph of a hand (又) grasping a pole or ceremonial banner used by an official, depicting the act of conducting court business. From this it came to mean 'affair, matter, business, service.' It shares an ancient origin with 史 (scribe) and 吏 (official).