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安全局 (ān quán jú) — security bureau (government agency responsible for national security)

Definition

noun
security bureau (government agency responsible for national security)

Examples

  • 安全局，。
    Tā zài ān quán jú gōng zuò, fù zé wǎng luò ān quán.
    He works at the security bureau and is responsible for network security.
  • 安全局。
    ān quán jú Zuì jìn pò huò le yì qǐ zhòng dà jiàn dié àn.
    The security bureau recently cracked a major espionage case.
  • 安全局。
    Dì fāng ān quán jú de zhí zé bāo kuò wéi hù shè huì wěn dìng.
    The duties of a local security bureau include maintaining social stability.

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.

安全safety
安ānsafe全quánwhole
联合Coordinate
局júbureau

安全 means safety and 局 names the bureau, so it is a bureau for safety.

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape puts 入 together with 玉 to show a whole piece of jade, so it means complete or whole.

Open 全 →

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
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù局jú
Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Open 局 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceGovernment & Politics

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