兼任
jiānrèn · HSK 7
hold a concurrent post
💼 兼 = concurrently + 任 = post/duty; one person holding more than one job at once
兼 means to combine or do simultaneously; 任 means an appointment, post, or duty. Together: 兼任 = holding a concurrent post, i.e. taking on a second role alongside your main one (often part-time).
兼 — hand 又 holding two grain stalks 秝
兼 is an ideograph showing a hand (又) grasping two stalks of grain (秝) at once. The original meaning was 'to hold two things together,' which extended to 'combine,' 'simultaneously,' and 'both.' This sense of doubling up survives in modern compounds like 兼职 (hold a concurrent job).
任 — person radical 亻 + 壬 (phonetic)
任 combines the person radical 亻 with 壬, which supplies the sound. The original sense centered on a person bearing a load or burden, which extended naturally to 'carrying responsibility,' 'duty,' and 'to appoint someone to a post.' Modern uses like 任务 (task) and 责任 (responsibility) preserve this core idea.