女将 (nǚ jiāng) — female general (historical or military context); (figurative) a highly capable woman, an adept, a powerhouse

Definition

Literally 'female general,' now most often used figuratively to praise a highly capable woman or leader. Carries a tone of admiration, stronger than just saying someone is 厉害.

noun
female general (historical or military context)(figurative) a highly capable womanan adepta powerhouse
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 女将，。
    Tā zài gōng sī lǐ bèi chēng wéi nǚ jiāng, zǒng néng dài lǐng tuán duì wán chéng zuì kùn nan de xiàng mù.
    She is known as a powerhouse in the company, always able to lead the team through the toughest projects.
  • 女将，。
    Lì shǐ shàng yǒu hěn duō zhù míng de nǚ jiāng, bǐ rú huā mù lán hé liáng hóng yù.
    There were many famous female generals in history, such as Hua Mulan and Liang Hongyu.
  • ，女将。
    Zài zhè cì bǐ sài zhōng, tā zhǎn xiàn le yí wèi nǚ jiāng de fēng cǎi.
    In this competition, she displayed the demeanor of a female ace.

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.

女nǚfemale
将jiānggeneral

女 means female and 将 means general, so the word denotes a female general or capable woman.

Characters in this word

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

女 shows a woman with folded arms, kneeling or standing. In the modern form the figure faces right, and the small enclosed part is what is left of one arm.

Open 女 →

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 將; 将 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán將jiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 將 combines 爿, which also supplies a sound and may show a small table, with ⺼ (meat) and 寸 (hand) to picture offering meat as tribute. The simplified 将 is a later shorthand.

Open 将 →

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