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当家 (dāng jiā) — to manage a household; to run the home; to have the final say; to be in charge (in a broader context)

Definition

当家 (dāng jiā) literally means 'to run the household' but extends to any setting where one person calls the shots. The 夫 is not part of the word — it is a verb-object phrase, so 当着家 or 当了家 insert 家 as the object.

verb
to manage a householdto run the hometo have the final sayto be in charge (in a broader context)

Examples

  • 当家。
    Tā jié hūn hòu jiù kāi shǐ dāng jiā le.
    After getting married, she started managing the household.
  • 当家，。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù yóu tā dāng jiā, wǒ men dōu tīng tā de.
    He's in charge of this project; we all follow his lead.
  • ，。
    Tā dāng le sān nián jiā, bǎ jiā lǐ ān pái dé jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáo.
    He managed the household for three years and kept everything in perfect order.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

当dāngmanage
家jiāhousehold

当 means to manage or act as, and 家 means household; together they refer to running the home.

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 →
Appears in
Management

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