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掌权 (zhǎng quán) — to hold power, to be in power, to exercise control

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to hold / take power,' used for leaders, parties, or families in control of a country or organization. 权力 is the abstract noun 'power' itself; 掌权 emphasizes actively wielding it.

verb
to hold powerto be in powerto exercise control

Examples

  • 掌权，。
    Tā zhǎng quán duō nián, jīng yàn fēng fù.
    He has been in power for many years and has rich experience.
  • ，。
    Tā zhǎng le quán zhī hòu, zuò le hěn duō gǎi gé.
    After he took power, he made many reforms.
  • 掌权。
    Zhè ge jiā zú yǐ jīng zhǎng quán sān dài le.
    This family has held power for three generations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

掌zhǎnghold
权quánpower

掌 means to hold in the hand, and 权 means power, so it means to hold 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
手手shǒu
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.

Open 掌 →

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 →
Appears in
ManagementGovernment & Politics

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