委员 (wěi yuán) — Chinese Word

noun HSK 5

Traditional 委員

wěi yuán

committee member · committee person · commissioner

Meaning

委员 refers to a person who serves on a committee, commission, or council. It is a formal title used in governmental, organizational, and institutional contexts. The word combines 委 (to entrust, to appoint) and 员 (member, person), literally meaning 'appointed member.'

Usage

This is a formal term commonly used in official, political, and organizational settings. It appears frequently in titles like '政协委员' (CPPCC member) or '奥委会委员' (Olympic Committee member). The term is rarely used in casual conversation but is ubiquitous in news, official documents, and formal organizational contexts.

Examples

01
她是教育委员会的委员。
Tā shì jiào yù wěi yuán huì de wěi yuán.
She is a member of the education committee.
02
这次会议有二十多位委员参加。
Zhè cì huì yì yǒu èr shí duō wèi wěi yuán cān jiā.
More than twenty committee members attended this meeting.

Characters

Measure words

位wèi三位委员
名míng五名委员

Common collocations

委员会委员
wěi yuán huì wěi yuán
committee member
常务委员
cháng wù wěi yuán
standing committee member
政协委员
zhèng xié wěi yuán
CPPCC member
人大委员
rén dà wěi yuán
NPC deputy/member

Origin

The character 委 originally meant 'to bend' or 'to yield,' later evolving to mean 'to entrust.' Combined with 员 (member), the compound reflects the concept of someone entrusted with membership duties in an official capacity.