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沙皇 (Shā huáng) — tsar, czar

Definition

Literally "Sand Emperor" — the Chinese rendering of the Russian title "tsar/czar." Always refers to the pre-1917 Russian emperors, not any other monarch.

noun
tsarczar
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 沙皇1917。
    Zuì hòu yí wèi Shā huáng shì zài 1917 nián bèi tuī fān de.
    The last tsar was overthrown in 1917.
  • 沙皇。
    É guó Shā huáng shí dài chí xù le sān bǎi duō nián.
    The Russian tsarist era lasted more than three hundred years.
  • 沙皇，。
    Zhè wèi Shā huáng yǐ gǎi gé zhù chēng, dàn yě yǐn fā le duō cì zhàn zhēng.
    This tsar was known for reforms, but also sparked many wars.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

沙 puts 少 (dots) beside 水 (water), showing sand on a shoreline.

Open 沙 →

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
𤼽𤼽𤼽
Sound part声符shēngfú
王
王wáng皇huáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The part 𤼽 originally drew a single peacock feather; 王 was later added to give the sound.

Open 皇 →
Appears in
Government & PoliticsHistory

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