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分会 (fēn huì) — branch (of an organization); chapter

Definition

分会 is a local branch or chapter of a larger organization (学会、公司、协会), not a meeting. The '会' here means 'association', not 'gathering' (会议).

noun
branch (of an organization)chapter
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 分会。
    Zhè ge xué huì zài quán guó yǒu hěn duō fēn huì.
    This society has many branches across the country.
  • 分会。
    Tā fù zé guǎn lǐ wǒ men gōng sī de běn dì fēn huì.
    He is responsible for managing our company's local branch.
  • 分会。
    Wǒ men fēn huì de huì yuán rén shù jīn nián zēng jiā le.
    The membership of our chapter increased this year.

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.

分fēnbranch
会huìassociation

分 会 combines 分, branch, with 会, association, meaning a branch of an organization.

Characters in this word

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →
Appears in
Groups & Organizations

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