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处长 (chù zhǎng) — department head, section chief

Definition

noun
department headsection chief
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 处长。
    Tā shì wǒ men gōng sī de chù zhǎng.
    He is the department head of our company.
  • 处长。
    Zhè cì shěn pī xū yào chù zhǎng qiān zì.
    This approval needs the section chief's signature.
  • 处长。
    Xīn lái de chù zhǎng hěn yǒu jīng yàn.
    The new department head is very experienced.

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.

处chùdepartment or section
长chángchief

处 denotes a department or section, and 长 denotes a chief, giving the chief of a section.

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 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →
Appears in
Professions & JobsSocial Roles & Status

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