交通部长 (jiāo tōng bù zhǎng) — Minister of Communications (a government cabinet position responsible for transportation policy and infrastructure)

Definition

noun
Minister of Communications (a government cabinet position responsible for transportation policy and infrastructure)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 交通部长。
    Xīn rèn jiāo tōng bù zhǎng jiāng yú xià zhōu zhèng shì jiù zhí.
    The new Minister of Communications will officially take office next week.
  • 交通部长。
    jiāo tōng bù zhǎng Zài jì zhě huì shàng jiè shào le xīn de tiě lù jì huà.
    The Minister of Communications introduced the new railway plan at the press conference.
  • 交通部长。
    Zhè wèi jiāo tōng bù zhǎng yǒu èr shí nián de jiāo tōng guǎn lǐ jīng yàn.
    This Minister of Communications has twenty years of experience in transportation management.

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.

交通transportation
交jiāoconnect; exchange通tōngpass through
联合Side by side
部长department chief
部bùdepartment长chángchief
偏正Modifier + head

交通 names the area and 部长 the office, giving the chief of that department.

Characters in this word

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

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →

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
邑邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu部bù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Open 部 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.