曹 (cáo) — (surname) Cao; (historical) department, office, or military unit (of around 50 people)
Definition
曹 has two unrelated senses: the common Chinese surname Cao, and a historical term for a government department or military unit of roughly 50 people in imperial China.
noun
(surname) Cao(historical) departmentofficeor military unit (of around 50 people)
Examples
- 曹。Wǒ rèn shi yí wèi xìng cáo de zuò jiā.I know a writer surnamed Cao.
- 曹，。Hàn dài guān fǔ fēn wéi duō gè cáo, tā men fù zé bù tóng shì wù.Han dynasty government offices were divided into multiple departments, each responsible for different affairs.
- 曹。Gǔ shí yì cáo yuē yǒu wǔ shí míng shì bīng.In ancient times, a unit had about fifty soldiers.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
The early form showed two bundles side by side, meaning a pair or same kind. Later, a mark was added and the top changed into the shape now seen in 曹.
Appears in
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