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女权 (nǚ quán) — women's rights

Definition

Cultural and political term for 'women's rights', typically used in formal or activist contexts such as movements, issues, or advocacy. Less common than the everyday phrase 妇女权益 when referring to legal or social entitlements.

noun
women's rights

Examples

  • 女权。
    Tā yì zhí zài wèi nǚ quán yùn dòng nǔ lì.
    She has been working hard for the women's rights movement.
  • ，女权。
    Xiàn dài shè huì zhōng, nǚ quán wèn tí yuè lái yuè shòu guān zhù.
    In modern society, women's rights issues are receiving more and more attention.
  • 女权。
    Zhè bù jì lù piàn tàn tǎo le quán shì jiè de nǚ quán fā zhǎn.
    This documentary explores the development of women's rights around the world.

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nǚwoman
权quánrights

“女” refers to women and “权” means rights, together denoting women's rights.

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 權; 权 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn權quán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 權 shows 木, a tree, with 雚 giving the sound; it named a kind of tree and was used for a standard weight. The simplified 权 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 权 →
Appears in
Rights & Citizenship

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