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征召 (zhēng zhào) — to draft, to conscript (for military service); to appoint (to an official position, formal)

Definition

Formal verb meaning to draft or conscript (typically for military service), and also to formally appoint someone to an official position. The tone is institutional and official, not everyday speech.

verb
to draftto conscript (for military service)to appoint (to an official position, formal)

Examples

  • 征召。
    Zhèng fǔ jué dìng zhēng zhào nián qīng rén cān jūn.
    The government decided to draft young people into the army.
  • ，征召。
    Zhàn zhēng qī jiān, guó jiā zhēng zhào le dà liàng shì bīng.
    During the war, the country conscripted a large number of soldiers.
  • 征召。
    Gōng sī zhēng zhào tā wèi xīn de zǒng jīng lǐ.
    The company appointed him as the new general manager.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

征zhēngcall up
召zhàosummon

征 and 召 both mean to call up; together they denote conscription or appointment.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 徵; 征 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 征 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (特征, 象征) it is 徵; in others it is 征.

The story is about the traditional form 徵. It originally meant punishment, from a picture of a knife with tooth-shaped protrusions on its back; later forms kept that sense.

Open 征 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo召zhào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 召 pairs 口 (mouth), for calling out, with 刀 (knife), which supplies the sound; it originally meant to call out or serve wine.

Open 召 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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