治国 (zhì guó) — to administer a country, to run a country

Definition

治国 means 'to govern / run a country' — a formal, written term about managing state affairs, stronger and more political than everyday 办事.

verb
to administer a countryto run a country

Examples

  • 治国。
    Tā hěn shàn yú zhì guó.
    He is very good at running the country.
  • 治国。
    zhì guó Bì xū xiān liǎo jiě rén mín de xū yào.
    To run a country, one must first understand the needs of the people.
  • ，。
    Yí gè lǐng dǎo rú guǒ zhì bù liǎo guó, jiù yīng gāi xià tái.
    If a leader cannot run the country, he should step down.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

治zhìgovern
国guócountry

治 means govern and 国 means country.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái治zhì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

治 has 水 (water) and 台; 台 gives the sound, and the character named a river.

Open 治 →

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 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

Open 国 →

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