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王朝 (wáng cháo) — dynasty

Definition

王朝 is a ruling dynasty ruled by a king — broader than 王国 (a single kingdom's realm) and paired with 朝代, which emphasizes the historical period itself. Use 王朝 when the focus is the royal house and its rule.

noun
dynasty

Examples

  • 王朝。
    Zhè ge wáng cháo chí xù le sì bǎi nián.
    This dynasty lasted for four hundred years.
  • 王朝。
    Táng cháo shì zhōng guó lì shǐ shàng zuì fán róng de wáng cháo zhī yī.
    The Tang dynasty was one of the most prosperous dynasties in Chinese history.
  • 王朝。
    Měi gè wáng cháo dōu yǒu zì jǐ dú tè de wén huà.
    Every dynasty has its own unique culture.

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.

王wángking
朝cháocourt or dynasty

王 means king and 朝 means court or dynasty, together naming a royal dynasty.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 王 comes from a picture of a ritual axe, an object kept near a throne and connected with royal power.

Open 王 →

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

Originally, 朝 showed the sun rising above the ground while the moon was still in the sky, giving the sense of morning.

Open 朝 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9History

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