当家作主 (dāng jiā zuò zhǔ) — be master of one's own affairs; to be in charge of one's own decisions

Definition

Literally 'be the head of the house and make the decisions' — an idiom for being fully in charge of one's own affairs, often used in political or organizational contexts.

idiom
be master of one's own affairsto be in charge of one's own decisions
Easily confused

Examples

  • 当家作主，。
    Rén mín yào dāng jiā zuò zhǔ, zì jǐ jué dìng zì jǐ de shì qing.
    People should be masters of their own affairs and decide their own matters.
  • 当家作主。
    Zhè ge gōng sī shí xíng dāng jiā zuò zhǔ de guǎn lǐ mó shì.
    This company implements a management model where employees are masters of their own affairs.
  • 当家作主，。
    Zhǐ yǒu dāng jiā zuò zhǔ, cái néng zhēn zhèng shí xiàn zì zhǔ fā zhǎn.
    Only by being master of one's own affairs can one truly achieve independent development.

Origin

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.

Open 当 →

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miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →

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