就任
しゅうにん · shuunin · JLPT N2 · noun
assumption of office
🏛️ 就 = take up + 任 = post/office: taking up an office = inauguration
就 means to take up or assume, and 任 means post, office, or duty. Together they describe formally stepping into a position of office.
就 — 京 (capital) + 尤 (especially)
Originally a compound suggesting going to a high place (京 depicts a tall building) to settle or accomplish something. Over time the meaning shifted from 'approach a high place' to 'go to,' then broadened to 'accomplish,' and finally to the modern grammatical senses 'then,' 'just,' or 'precisely.'
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.