独揽 (dú lǎn) — to monopolize; to arrogate to oneself

Definition

A formal verb meaning to take sole control of something (power, opportunities, a market) without sharing. Unlike simple 独占, it often implies arrogating authority or a major share to oneself, and pairs especially with 大权.

verb
to monopolizeto arrogate to oneself

Examples

  • 独揽。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī dú lǎn le zhěng gè shì chǎng.
    This company monopolized the entire market.
  • 独揽，。
    Tā xǐ huan dú lǎn dà quán, bù tīng bié rén de yì jiàn.
    He likes to monopolize power and not listen to others' opinions.
  • ，独揽。
    Zài huì yì shàng, tā dú lǎn le suǒ yǒu fā yán jī huì.
    At the meeting, he arrogated all speaking opportunities to himself.

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.

独dúalone
揽lǎntake

独 means alone and 揽 means take, so it means to take solely.

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 獨; 独 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎn
Sound part声符shēngfú
蜀
蜀shǔ獨dú
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獨 pairs 犬 (dog) with 蜀, which gives the sound; the simplified 独 is a shorthand.

Open 独 →

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 攬; 揽 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
覽
覽lǎn攬lǎn
Same sound today

The traditional form 攬 pairs 扌 (hand) with the sound part 覽, giving the sense of grasping with the hand; the simplified 揽 is a shorthand.

Open 揽 →

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