掌印 (zhǎng yìn) — to hold power; to be in charge (verb-object) | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal, literary verb-object phrase for 'to hold power / be in charge.' Used mostly in writing about organizations or politics, not daily speech.

verb

to hold powerto be in charge (verb-object)

Examples

掌印。
Zhè jiā gōng sī yóu tā zhǎng yìn duō nián le.
He has been in charge of this company for many years.
，。
Tā zài bù mén lǐ zhǎng le shí nián yìn, jīng yàn hěn fēng fù.
He held power in the department for ten years and gained a lot of experience.
掌印，。
Jī gòu huàn le zhǎng yìn de rén, zhèng cè yě biàn le.
The organization changed the person in charge, so the policy also changed.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

掌 means to hold, and 印 is a seal, so the idea is holding official power.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng掌zhǎng

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

It combines 手, meaning hand, with 尚, which gives it a sound close to shàng.

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

爪爪zhuǎhand
卩卩jiékneeling person

印 pairs 爪 (hand) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on a kneeling person.

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