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称霸 (chēng bà) — to seek hegemony; to dominate (in a field or region)

Definition

称霸 (chēng bà) means to dominate or hold hegemony over a field, region, or industry. It implies being the unrivaled top power — stronger and more absolute than just '领先' (leading).

verb
to seek hegemonyto dominate (in a field or region)

Examples

  • 称霸。
    Zhè ge guó jiā shì tú zài yà zhōu chēng bà.
    This country is trying to seek hegemony in Asia.
  • 称霸，。
    Tā zài shì jiè pīng tán chēng bà duō nián, wú rén néng dí.
    He dominated the world table tennis scene for many years, with no one able to rival him.
  • ，称霸。
    Lì shǐ shàng, zhè ge dì guó céng yī dù chēng bà ōu zhōu.
    Historically, this empire once dominated Europe.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

称chēngclaim
霸bàhegemony

称 (claim) and 霸 (hegemony) combine to mean claim hegemony, hence dominate.

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 稱; 称 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾hérice
Sound part声符shēngfú
爯
爯chēng稱chēng
Same sound today

The traditional form 稱 pairs 禾 (rice) with 爯, a part giving the sound; it is explained as measuring rice. The simplified 称 is a later shorthand.

Open 称 →

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

The original form paired 革 with 月 to show changes in moonlight.

Open 霸 →
Appears in
Government & Politics

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