着作权 (zhe zuò quán) — copyright

Definition

noun
copyright

Examples

  • 着作权。
    Zhè běn shū de zhe zuò quán shǔ yú zuò zhě běn rén.
    The copyright of this book belongs to the author himself.
  • 着作权。
    Wèi jīng xǔ kě shǐ yòng tā rén zuò pǐn huì qīn fàn zhe zuò quán.
    Using someone else's work without permission infringes copyright.
  • 着作权。
    Fǎ lǜ duì zhe zuò quán de bǎo hù qī xiàn yǒu míng què guī dìng.
    The law has clear provisions on the term of copyright protection.

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.

着作writing or composing
着zhewrite作zuòcompose
联合Side by side
权quánright

着 and 作 refer to writing or composing, and 权 names the right over such works.

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě著zháo
Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Open 着 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

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 權; 权 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn權quán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 權 shows 木, a tree, with 雚 giving the sound; it named a kind of tree and was used for a standard weight. The simplified 权 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 权 →

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