地下党 (dì xià dǎng) — underground party (esp. the Chinese Communist Party during the revolutionary period)

Definition

Refers specifically to clandestine Communist Party cells during China's revolutionary and wartime periods — a historical term, not a general word for any secret political group.

noun
underground party (esp. the Chinese Communist Party during the revolutionary period)

Examples

  • 地下党。
    Tā céng jīng shì yì míng dì xià dǎng chéng yuán.
    He was once a member of the underground party.
  • 地下党。
    Diàn yǐng jiǎng shù le yí gè dì xià dǎng de gù shi.
    The movie tells a story of an underground party.
  • 地下党。
    Tā men zài dì xià dǎng zhōng mì mì gōng zuò le hěn duō nián.
    They worked secretly in the underground party for many years.

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.

地下below ground
地dìground下xiàbelow
偏正Modifier + head
党dǎngparty

地下 (below ground) + 党 (party) = a party operating underground.

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

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
儿儿érhuman
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng党dǎng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

党 pairs 尚, giving its sound, with 儿, a human.

Open 党 →

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