上校 (shàng xiào) — (army) colonel; (navy) captain

Definition

Military rank. In the army it equals colonel; in the navy the same characters are pronounced the same but equal captain (O-6 equivalent in PLA ranks).

noun
(army) colonel(navy) captain
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 上校。
    Tā shì yì míng lù jūn shàng xiào.
    He is an army colonel.
  • 上校。
    Zhè wèi hǎi jūn shàng xiào zhǐ huī zhe yì sōu jūn jiàn.
    This navy captain commands a warship.
  • 上校。
    shàng xiào De jūn xián bǐ zhōng xiào gāo.
    The rank of colonel is higher than lieutenant colonel.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

上shàngupper
校xiàorank

“上” upper plus “校” rank gives a higher officer rank.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo校jiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

校 is built from 木 (tree) on the left and 交 on the right, which supplies the sound.

Open 校 →
Appears in
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