主教 (zhǔ jiào) — bishop (religious title)

Definition

noun

bishop (religious title)

Measure word · 位

主教。
Zhè wèi zhǔ jiào zài jiào táng lǐ jiǎng huà.
This bishop is giving a speech in the church.
主教。
Hěn duō zhǔ jiào cān jiā le zhè cì huì yì.
Many bishops attended this meeting.
主教。
zhǔ jiào Shì jiào huì zhōng de zhòng yào rén wù.
The bishop is an important figure in the church.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

主教 joins 主 (govern) and 教 (religion), naming someone who governs religious affairs.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

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

子子zǐchild

攵Written in full as攴pūteaching cane; stick that represents authority

Sound part声符shēngfú

爻

爻yáo教jiào

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

教 uses 爻 for its sound and puts 子 (child) with 攵 (攴), a teaching cane, to show teaching a child.

Appears in