背景(bèi jǐng) - background in Mandarin

背景 (bèijǐng) is background, both literally and figuratively. 背 (bèi) means "back, behind" and 景 (jǐng) means "scene, view", so the compound is literally "the scene behind", which covers a photo's backdrop just as naturally as a person's education or family history.

In the job-hunting and school-application vocabulary this word turns up in constantly: 教育背景 (jiàoyù bèijǐng), educational background, and 工作背景 (gōngzuò bèijǐng, from gong1-zuo4), work background, are exactly the phrases a 面试 (miànshì), interview, or an application form asks for.

Watch the tone on 背 here: as "back, behind" in 背景 it is bèi, fourth tone, but the same character read as bēi, first tone, means "to carry on one's back", as in 背包 (bēibāo), backpack. Getting the tone wrong changes the meaning, not just the accent.