总裁 (zǒng cái) — president, CEO (of a company)

Definition

The 'president / CEO' of a company, the top operating executive. 校长 is for a school; 主席 is for a committee or organization; 总统 is for a country.

noun

presidentCEO (of a company)

Measure word · 位

总裁。
Gōng sī de zǒng cái jué dìng gǎi biàn jì huà.
The company's president decided to change the plan.
总裁。
zǒng cái Zài huì yì shàng xuān bù le xīn zhèng cè.
The CEO announced the new policy at the meeting.
总裁。
Zhè wèi nián qīng zǒng cái hěn yǒu néng lì.
This young president is very capable.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

总 gives the sense of chief or overall, and 裁 relates to deciding.

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 總; 总 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìrope

Sound part声符shēngfú

悤

悤cōng總zǒng

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

The traditional form 總 has 糸, a rope, and 悤 as a sound part; the rope part is for binding together. This account is for 總, not for 总.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

衣𢦏裁

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢦏

𢦏𢦏裁cái

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

裁 combines 衣 (clothing) with 𢦏, whose form is tied to a blade and an arrow, to show cutting fabric.

Appears in