执政 (zhí zhèng) — to hold power, to govern (used of political par…

Definition

Refers specifically to a party or leader being in office and exercising political power, distinct from the broader, everyday idea of 统治. Often used in formal or political contexts.

verb

to hold powerto govern (used of political parties or leaders in office)

Examples

执政。
Zhè ge dǎng yǐ jīng zhí zhèng duō nián le.
This party has been in power for many years.
，。
Tā céng jīng zhí guò zhèng, kǒu bēi hěn hǎo.
He once held power, and had a good reputation.
，。
Tā men cái zhí le wǔ nián zhèng, jiù fā shēng le hěn duō biàn huà.
They had only been in power for five years when many changes occurred.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

执zhíhold

政zhènggovernment

执 means hold and 政 means government, so the word describes holding governmental power.

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 執; 执 is its simplified writing.

㚔㚔㚔criminal / handcuffs
丮丮jǐhand

The traditional form 執 shows 㚔, a handcuffed criminal, with 丮, a hand, giving the idea of arrest. The simplified 执 is a later shorthand, so its current parts are not the original pieces.

Open 执 →

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

攴攴pūaction

Sound part声符shēngfú

正

正zhèng政zhèng

Same sound today

政 combines 正, which gives the sound, with 攴, an action-related part.

Open 政 →

Appears in

Government & Politics