强将 (qiáng jiàng) — strong general, powerful commander (used primarily in set phrases)

Definition

强将 (qiángjiàng) means 'strong general / capable leader', used mostly in the chengyu 强将手下无弱兵 ('under a good leader, no weak soldiers'). It is a literary, set-phrase word rather than everyday vocabulary.

noun
strong generalpowerful commander (used primarily in set phrases)

Examples

  • ，强将。
    Sú huà shuō, qiáng jiàng shǒu xià wú ruò bīng.
    As the saying goes, under a strong general there are no weak soldiers.
  • ，强将。
    Zhè ge tuán duì de yè jì zhè me hǎo, zhēn shì qiáng jiàng shǒu xià wú ruò bīng.
    This team's performance is so good — truly, under a strong general there are no weak soldiers.
  • 强将，。
    Tā shì yí wèi zhēn zhèng de qiáng jiàng, dài lǐng dà jiā qǔ dé le shèng lì.
    He is a true strong general who led everyone to victory.

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.

强qiángstrong
将jiānggeneral

“强” means strong and “将” means general; the word is a strong general.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 強; 强 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 強 pairs an insect component with a sound component; this explains 強, not the simplified 强.

Open 强 →

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 →

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