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秘书长 (mì shū zhǎng) — secretary-general

Definition

Refers to the chief administrative officer of an organization (e.g., UN, political party), ranked above an ordinary 秘书 and below a 主席 or 部长. The measure word is 位.

noun
secretary-general
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 秘书长。
    Lián hé guó mì shū zhǎng fā biǎo le zhòng yào jiǎng huà.
    The UN Secretary-General delivered an important speech.
  • 秘书长。
    Tā dān rèn mì shū zhǎng yǐ jīng wǔ nián le.
    He has served as secretary-general for five years.
  • 秘书长。
    mì shū zhǎng De bàn gōng shì zài sān lóu.
    The secretary-general's office is on the third floor.

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.

秘书secretary
秘mìsecret书shūdocument
偏正Modifier + head
长chángchief

秘书 (secretary) and 长 (chief) combine to name the chief secretary.

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
禾禾hé
Sound part声符shēngfú
必
必bì秘Bì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 必 part gives 秘 its sound. The 禾 side replaced an older ritual marker, linking it to secret rituals and arcane meaning.

Open 秘 →

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 長; 长 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 長 pictures an old man with long hair. The simplified 长 is a later shorthand, so its strokes do not show that original picture.

Open 长 →
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