局 (jú) - bureau, office, department & situation, circumstances

局Tone 2

jú ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 尸

傑君

局 · jú

bureau, office, department;

situation, circumstances;

game, match;

limited, confined

bureau, office, departmentsituation, circumstancesgame, match

Usage highlights

bureau/officesituation/circumstancespolitical situationchess gamepost officepolice station

Synonyms

  • 部门— department, division
  • 机关— government office, organ
  • 处境— situation, circumstances

Antonyms

  • 全局— overall situation (antonym to partial view)
  • 开阔— open, wide (antonym to confined)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He works at the post office (邮局).
  • The current political situation (政局) is stable.
  • Let's play a game of chess (棋局).
  • The room is quite small and cramped (局促).

Collocations

  • bureau/office(局)
  • situation/circumstances(局面)
  • political situation(政局)
  • chess game(棋局)
  • post office(邮局)
  • police station(警察局)

Idioms

  • To be in an awkward predicament(陷入僵局)
  • To be confined within narrow limits(局促不安)
  • To be at a stalemate(成局)
  • To be restricted by circumstances(受制于局)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a person bending or crouching under a roof, conveying the sense of confinement or limitation.
  • In modern usage, commonly refers to government bureaus and offices, reflecting bureaucratic organization.
  • Used in gaming contexts to denote rounds or matches in games like chess or mahjong.

FAQ