当官 (dāng guān) — (v.o.) to hold a government post; to be an offi… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

当 (dāng) here means 'to hold a position', and 官 specifically means an official in the government — a verb-object phrase for becoming or serving as a government official.

verb

(v.o.) to hold a government postto be an official

Examples

当官。
Tā dāng guān yǐ hòu biàn de hěn máng.
After he became an official, he became very busy.
，。
Tā dāng le shí duō nián guān, hěn yǒu jīng yàn.
He has been an official for over ten years and is very experienced.
当官，。
Hěn duō rén dōu xiǎng dāng guān, dàn zé rèn yě hěn dà.
Many people want to become officials, but the responsibility is also great.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

当dāngserve as

官guānofficial

当 means serve as and 官 means official, giving the idea of holding office.

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 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

田田tiánfield

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng當dāng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

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

宀宀mián
𠂤𠂤𠂤

官 pairs 宀, a roof, with 𠂤, rooms beneath it, to depict an official building.

Appears in

Government & Politics

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