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少将 (shào jiàng) — major general (army); rear admiral (navy)

Definition

noun
major general (army)rear admiral (navy)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 少将，。
    Tā shì yí wèi shào jiàng, zài jūn duì zhōng fù zé zhǐ huī.
    He is a major general, responsible for command in the army.
  • 少将。
    Zhè wèi shào jiàng cān jiā guò duō cì zhòng yào zhàn yì.
    This major general has participated in many important battles.
  • 少将，。
    Tā bèi jìn shēng wéi shào jiàng, dà jiā dōu wèi tā gāo xìng.
    He was promoted to major general, and everyone was happy for him.

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.

少shǎojunior
将jiānggeneral

少 marks a lower rank, and 将 denotes a general; together they name a junior general.

Characters in this word

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

The form 少 is drawn as four dots, perhaps three grains of sand, to indicate a few or a little.

Open 少 →

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 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseProfessions & Jobs

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