裁军 (cái jūn) — to disarm, to reduce military forces

Definition

Refers to a state or government reducing or giving up its armed forces, typically as a policy of disarmament. Often paired with 军备 (armaments) in formal contexts like international treaties.

verb
to disarmto reduce military forces

Examples

  • 。
    Nà ge guó jiā qù nián cái le jūn.
    That country disarmed last year.
  • 裁军。
    Gè guó yīng gāi gòng tóng cái jūn.
    All countries should disarm together.
  • 裁军。
    cái jūn Shì wéi hù hé píng de zhòng yào cuò shī.
    Disarmament is an important measure to maintain peace.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

裁cáireduce
军jūnarmy

裁 means reduce, and 军 means army, so 裁军 describes reducing military forces.

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
衣衣yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢦏
𢦏𢦏裁cái
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

裁 combines 衣 (clothing) with 𢦏, whose form is tied to a blade and an arrow, to show cutting fabric.

Open 裁 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 軍; 军 is its simplified writing.

  • 車車jūcart; chariot
  • 勹勹bāoto surround

In the traditional form 軍, 車 shows the chariot sense, while the part now written 勹 is a sound part, not the 'surround' 勹. Simplified 军 is a later shorthand.

Open 军 →

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