public servant
public servant — 名詞
1. a person who works for a government department or agency as a paid employee — so
公務員
政府部門的受僱人員
a person who works for a government department or agency as a paid employee — someone whose job is to carry out the administrative work of the state, such as processing applications, issuing permits, or managing public records.
After university, Theo took a job as a public servant in the national health department.
Theo 大學畢業後，在國家衛生部找到一份公務員的工作。
take a job as + [role] — describing career entry
Thousands of public servants were transferred after the government reorganised the tax system.
數千名公務員在政府重組稅務系統後被調到新的辦公室。
passive: were transferred to — organisational change
Sari has been a public servant at the immigration office since the visa system launched.
簽證系統啟用後，Sari 一直在出入境辦公室擔任公務員。
The old post office houses two hundred public servants who process digital licence applications.
舊郵局大樓容納了兩百名負責處理數位駕照申請的公務員。
house + number + who-clause — describing facility capacity
Cyrus works as a public servant maintaining the database of hospital patient records.
Cyrus 擔任公務員，負責維護醫院病歷資料庫。
- career public servant
- retired public servant
- train public servants
- public servant for [department]
- public servant at [agency]
- civil servant
narrower — typically refers to central government employees hired through a competitive exam, especially in the UK and Commonwealth countries
- government employee
more general — can include workers at state-owned enterprises and public agencies
- state worker
informal — common in spoken English, especially in the US
- private-sector employee
someone employed by a private company rather than by the government
用法筆記
Often followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with 'at' or 'for' to specify the employer: a public servant at the tax office, a public servant for the city council.
常見錯誤
2. a person who serves the public through an elected or appointed position in gover
公職人員
經選舉或任命的政府人員
a person who serves the public through an elected or appointed position in government — for example, a mayor, a member of parliament, a city councillor, or a minister appointed to lead a government department.
As an elected public servant, Sora attends community meetings every Tuesday to hear residents' concerns.
身為民選公職人員，Sora 每週二參加社區會議，聽取居民的意見。
as + elected public servant — identifying representative role
Tariro was appointed as a public servant on the city planning commission by the governor.
Tariro 被州長任命為市規劃委員會的公職人員。
passive: was appointed + as + role + by + agent — formal appointment
Hannah became a public servant after seeing how the local shelter depended on government funding.
Hannah 在看到當地收容所依賴政府資金後，成為公職人員。
Every public servant on the regional council must declare their financial interests before taking office.
區域議會的每一位公職人員在就職前都必須申報其財務利益。
must declare + noun + before + gerund — obligation in official contexts
The article examined how public servants in parliament balance their political duties with citizens' needs.
這篇文章探討了國會中的公職人員如何平衡政治職責與民眾的需求。
- elected public servant
- appointed public servant
- serve as a public servant
- run for office as a public servant
- elected official
more specific — refers only to officials who won an election
- public official
slightly broader — can include both elected and career positions; often sounds more formal
- office holder
formal — emphasises the positional authority of the role
- private citizen
an individual who does not hold any government office
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE): this sense includes elected representatives and politically appointed officials, not only career civil servants. The phrases 'elected public servant' and 'appointed public servant' are commonly used to signal this meaning clearly.