冠冕 (guān miǎn) — royal crown; official hat (as worn by ancient rulers or high officials); figurative position of leadership or authority; top rank

Definition

Literally 'crown' (the royal headpiece worn by ancient rulers or high officials), used figuratively for the top position of leadership or authority.

noun
royal crownofficial hat (as worn by ancient rulers or high officials)figurative position of leadership or authoritytop rank
Measure word · 顶

Examples

  • 冠冕，。
    Zhè dǐng guān miǎn shàng xiāng mǎn le bǎo shí, fēi cháng guì zhòng.
    This crown is studded with gems and is extremely precious.
  • ，冠冕。
    Tā píng jiè chū sè de néng lì, zuì zhōng yíng dé le háng yè nèi de guān miǎn.
    Through his outstanding ability, he ultimately won the crown within the industry.
  • 冠冕，。
    Zhè wèi guó wáng de guān miǎn dài dài xiāng chuán, yǐ yǒu qiān nián lì shǐ.
    This king's crown has been passed down for generations, with a history of a thousand years.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

冠guānhat
冕miǎncrown

“冠” and “冕” both refer to headgear, and together denote a crown or official hat.

Characters in this word

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
冖冖mìhat
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán冠guàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

冠 shows a hand putting a hat on a head: 寸 is the hand, 冖 is the hat, and 元 is the head.

Open 冠 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 冕 →

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