内定

內定

nèidìng

verb #29,308

Meanings

1 to decide internally without public announcement
2 to select someone behind closed doors
3 already decided (unofficially)

Characters

inner; internal; inside

to decide; to fix; to determine

Examples

这个职位早就内定好了，招聘只是走形式。

Zhège zhíwèi zǎo jiù nèidìng hǎo le, zhāopìn zhǐshì zǒu xíngshì.

The position was already decided internally — the recruitment process was just a formality.

听说奖项已经内定，投票不过是表面功夫。

Tīngshuō jiǎngxiàng yǐjīng nèidìng, tóupiào bùguò shì biǎomiàn gōngfu.

I heard the award was already fixed behind the scenes; the voting is just for show.

Tips

usage

内定 often implies backroom dealings and a lack of transparency. It carries a negative or cynical tone in most contexts, suggesting that official processes are being bypassed.

Stroke Order

内 nèi

定 dìng