委任状 (wěi rèn zhuàng) — letter of appointment; certificate of appointment

Definition

noun
letter of appointmentcertificate of appointment
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 委任状。
    Gōng sī gěi le tā yì zhāng wěi rèn zhuàng.
    The company gave him a letter of appointment.
  • 委任状。
    Tā de wěi rèn zhuàng shì shàng ge yuè qiān fā de.
    His appointment certificate was issued last month.
  • 委任状。
    Zhè fèn wěi rèn zhuàng xū yào zǒng jīng lǐ qiān zì.
    This appointment certificate needs the general manager's signature.

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.

委任appointment
委wěientrust任rènappoint
联合Side by side
状zhuàngcertificate

“委任” combines entrust and appoint to mean appointment, and “状” names a document, giving a certificate of appointment.

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
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
禾
禾hé委wěi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

委 has 女 under 禾. 女, a woman, is the meaning part, and 禾 gives the sound.

Open 委 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
壬
壬rén任rèn
Same sound today

任 pairs 亻, a person, with 壬, which may picture a shoulder pole turned sideways.

Open 任 →

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 狀; 状 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán狀zhuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 狀 pairs 犬 (dog) with 爿 as a sound component; the simplified 状 is a shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 状 →

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