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巡抚 (xún fǔ) — provincial governor (Ming and Qing dynasties); circuit inspector (historical)

Definition

A Ming–Qing dynasty official sent from the central government to govern a province — combining civil, military, and supervisory authority, and ranking above the regular provincial governor (总督).

noun
provincial governor (Ming and Qing dynasties)circuit inspector (historical)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 巡抚。
    Míng cháo de xún fǔ quán lì hěn dà.
    Provincial governors of the Ming dynasty had great power.
  • 巡抚。
    Zhè wèi xún fǔ céng jīng zhì lǐ guò zhè ge shěng.
    This provincial governor once governed this province.
  • ，巡抚。
    Lì shǐ shàng, xún fǔ fù zé dāng dì de zhèng zhì hé jūn shì.
    Historically, the provincial governor was responsible for local politics and military affairs.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

巡xúnpatrol
抚fǔpacify

The title pairs 巡 'patrol' with 抚 'pacify', two parallel duties.

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
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
川
川chuān巡xún
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

巡 pairs 辵, a walking part, with 川 as a sound part.

Open 巡 →

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 撫; 抚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
無
無wú撫fǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 撫 pairs 手 (hand) with 無 for the sound; the simplified 抚 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 抚 →
Appears in
Government & PoliticsHistory

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