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当权者 (dāng quán zhě) — person in authority; those in power

Definition

Noun for 'those in power / a person in authority' — a politically loaded term for rulers, officials, or anyone who holds power, often used with a critical or evaluative tone (e.g. 当权者 must take responsibility).

noun
person in authoritythose in power

Examples

  • 当权者。
    Zhè xiē dāng quán zhě bì xū wèi tā men de jué cè fù zé.
    Those in power must be responsible for their decisions.
  • ，当权者。
    Lì shǐ shàng, dāng quán zhě cháng cháng hū shì mín zhòng de shēng yīn.
    Throughout history, those in power often ignored the voices of the people.
  • 当权者。
    Gōng sī lǐ de dāng quán zhě yīng gāi yǐ shēn zuò zé.
    Those in authority in a company should set an example.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

当权hold power
当dānghold权quánpower
动宾Verb + object
者zhěperson

当权 means hold power, and 者 refers to a person; together they name a person in authority.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 權; 权 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn權quán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 權 shows 木, a tree, with 雚 giving the sound; it named a kind of tree and was used for a standard weight. The simplified 权 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 权 →

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

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Open 者 →
Appears in
Government & Politics

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