掌门人 (zhǎng mén rén) — (original meaning) head of a martial arts sect; sect leader; (figurative) leading authority; top figure in a particular field; chief

Definition

Literally 'palm-gate person': originally the head of a martial-arts or performing-arts school, now used figuratively for the top figure in any field. Pairs with 的 to modify a domain (e.g. 这家公司的掌门人).

noun
(original meaning) head of a martial arts sectsect leader(figurative) leading authoritytop figure in a particular fieldchief
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 掌门人。
    Tā shì shào lín sì de dì sān shí dài zhǎng mén rén.
    He is the thirtieth-generation head of the Shaolin Temple.
  • 掌门人。
    Zhè jiā kē jì gōng sī de zhǎng mén rén shì yí wèi zhù míng de jì suàn jī kē xué jiā.
    The leading figure of this tech company is a renowned computer scientist.
  • 掌门人，。
    Zuò wéi jīng jù de zhǎng mén rén, tā péi yǎng le hěn duō yōu xiù de tú dì.
    As the master of Peking Opera, he has trained many outstanding disciples.

Origin

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.

掌门manage a sect
掌zhǎngmanage门ménsect
动宾Verb + object
人rénperson

掌门 conveys managing a sect, and 人 gives the person who does it.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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