权柄 (quán bǐng) — power; authority | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

powerauthority

Examples

权柄。
Tā shǒu zhōng zhǎng wò zhe jù dà de quán bǐng.
He holds great power in his hands.
权柄。
Zhè wèi lǐng dǎo shàn yú xíng shǐ quán bǐng.
This leader is good at exercising authority.
权柄。
Méi yǒu rén néng tiǎo zhàn tā de quán bǐng.
No one can challenge his authority.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

权quánpower

柄bǐngauthority

“权” and “柄” both denote power or authority, so together they mean power or authority.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 權; 权 is its simplified writing.

木雚權

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木丙柄

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

丙

丙bǐng柄bǐng

Same sound today

柄 shows a wooden handle: it combines 木 (wood) with 丙 for its sound.

Open 柄 →

Appears in