内阁大臣 (nèi gé dà chén) — cabinet minister

Definition

noun
cabinet minister
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 内阁大臣。
    Nà wèi nèi gé dà chén zài huì yì shàng fā biǎo le zhòng yào jiǎng huà.
    That cabinet minister delivered an important speech at the meeting.
  • 内阁大臣。
    Xīn shàng rèn de nèi gé dà chén tí chū le jīng jì gǎi gé fāng àn.
    The newly appointed cabinet minister proposed economic reform plans.
  • 内阁大臣。
    Tā shì yí wèi yǒu duō nián jīng yàn de nǚ nèi gé dà chén.
    She is a female cabinet minister with many years of experience.

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.

内阁cabinet
内nèiinner阁gécabinet
偏正Modifier + head
大臣minister
大dàgreat臣chénminister
偏正Modifier + head

内阁 refers to the cabinet, 大臣 to a minister, together giving cabinet minister.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 入入rùto enter
  • 冂冂jiōnghouse

The shape shows 入 entering into 冂, a house, so it pictures bringing something indoors, giving the sense inside.

Open 内 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閣; 阁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méngate
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè閣gé
Same sound today

The traditional form 閣 pairs 門 (gate) with 各, which gives the pronunciation; this note is about 閣, not the simplified 阁.

Open 阁 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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

臣 is shaped like a man's vertical eye looking downward.

Open 臣 →

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