務

Core concept is exertion: the application of effort or force toward a specific end, typically implying obligation or intentionality.

• Noun: Matters involving professional, official, or moral obligation; duties and preoccupations.
• Verb: To devote oneself to, strive for, or occupy oneself with a specific pursuit (the intentional application of energy toward a goal).

Modal: Functions as a marker of imperative or urgency ("must," "should"), representing either an internal moral drive or an external systemic requirement.

• vs. 事 (shì): While 事 is a general term for any matter or event, 務 typically denotes work in the sense of a vocation, a burden of office, or a required task.
• vs. 勞 (láo): Both involve effort, but 務 emphasizes the direction and purpose of the effort (the task), whereas 勞 emphasizes the cost of the effort (toil, exhaustion).

• Simplified variant: 务 (U+52A1).
• Phonetics: Standard reading is wù; historical records indicate a Tang-period reading of miò.

Avoid rendering as "business" in a modern commercial sense unless the text explicitly concerns trade.