jan4 si6人事
Jyutpingjan4 si6
Yaleyàhn sih
Definition
Personnel matters, human resources, or staff management.
neutralwork
How it's used
Refers specifically to the internal politics or administrative handling of staff within an organization. It often carries a nuance of office dynamics or interpersonal relationships rather than just the formal HR department. When people say someone is good at 人事, they mean that person is skilled at navigating office politics and maintaining good professional relationships.
Examples
The personnel situation at this company is very complicated.
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to mean personal matters or private affairs, which would be 私事. Learners sometimes confuse the two because of the similar sound, but 人事 is strictly about professional or organizational staff relations.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
