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勋爵 (xūn jué) — (historical Chinese) noble title granted for meritorious service; (British) lord, peer

Definition

勋爵 (xūnjué) is a noble title meaning 'lord,' awarded for meritorious service — in imperial China for battlefield or civil merit, and in Britain as a peerage rank.

noun
(historical Chinese) noble title granted for meritorious service(British) lordpeer
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 勋爵，。
    Zhè wèi xūn jué zài zhàn chǎng shàng lì le dà gōng, bèi huáng dì fēng wéi shì xí jué wèi.
    This lord performed great deeds on the battlefield and was granted a hereditary title by the emperor.
  • 勋爵。
    Yīng guó shàng yì yuàn yóu xūn jué hé zhǔ jiào zǔ chéng.
    The British House of Lords is composed of lords and bishops.
  • 勋爵。
    Tā yīn gòng xiàn tū chū bèi shòu yǔ xūn jué chēng hào.
    He was awarded the title of lord for his outstanding contributions.

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.

勋xūnmerit
爵juérank

勋 describes the basis of the 爵, a rank tied to meritorious service.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 勳; 勋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lì
Sound part声符shēngfú
熏
熏xūn勳xūn
Same sound today

The traditional form 勳 uses 力 (strength) for meaning and 熏 for sound; the simplified 勋 is a later shorthand.

Open 勋 →

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

爵 originally pictured a sparrow-shaped wine vessel, sometimes with a hand holding it. In the modern form, the vessel's parts were reshaped and separated.

Open 爵 →
Appears in
Identity & Titles

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