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皇太子 (huáng tài zǐ) — crown prince

Definition

The titled heir apparent of an emperor — the eldest son (or designated successor) next in line to the throne. A specific historical/royal title, not a general word for 'heir'.

noun
crown prince
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 皇太子。
    Lì shǐ shàng de huáng tài zǐ wǎng wǎng xū yào xué xí zhì guó zhī dào.
    In history, crown princes often had to learn the art of governing.
  • 皇太子。
    Nà wèi huáng tài zǐ cóng xiǎo jiù bèi lì wéi jì chéng rén.
    That crown prince was appointed as the successor from a young age.
  • 皇太子。
    huáng tài zǐ Zài dēng jī qián jiē shòu le yán gé de jūn shì xùn liàn.
    The crown prince underwent rigorous military training before ascending the throne.

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.

皇huángimperial
太子crown prince
太tàigreat子zǐson
偏正Modifier + head

皇 and 太子 combine imperial with crown prince, naming the emperor's designated heir.

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
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 →

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

太 is a modified form of 大, with an extra dot added to show 'too big'.

Open 太 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HistoryIdentity & Titles

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