公职
gōngzhí · HSK 7
service
🏛️💼 公 = public + 职 = post/duty → a public-sector post
公 means public or shared; 职 means post, duty, or job. Together 公职 names a job held in the service of the public — government or state employment, as opposed to private-sector work.
公 — eight 八 + private 厶
Originally an ideograph showing 八 (to divide) over 厶 (private/self), depicting the act of splitting away from selfish interest. The combination came to mean 'public' or 'fair,' the opposite of private. It later extended to senses like 'duke,' 'lord,' and 'grandfather.'