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基金会 (jī jīn huì) — foundation (institution)

Definition

基金会 is an organization (the 会 suffix marks a group/association) that manages and distributes a fund — not the abstract 'basis' meaning of 基础 or 根本. Compare 基金, which is the money itself.

noun
foundation (institution)
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 基金会。
    Zhè ge jī jīn huì měi nián xiàng pín kùn xué shēng tí gōng jiǎng xué jīn.
    This foundation provides scholarships to poor students every year.
  • 基金会。
    Tā fù zé guǎn lǐ jī jīn huì de kē yán jīng fèi.
    He is responsible for managing the foundation's research funds.
  • 基金会。
    Nà jiā jī jīn huì zhuān zhù yú ái zhèng yán jiū.
    That foundation focuses on cancer research.

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.

基金fund
基jībasic金jīnmoney
偏正Modifier + head
会huìassociation

基金会 joins 基金 'fund' with 会 'association' to mean an organization that manages a fund.

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
其
其qí基jī
Same sound today

The lower 土 means earth, and the upper 其 gives the sound; together they form the idea of a foundation of earth.

Open 基 →

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

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Groups & OrganizationsFinance & Banking

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