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解放军 (jiě fàng jūn) — Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA); the military forces of the PRC; PLA soldier; a member of the People's Liberation Army

Definition

Short for 中国人民解放军 (Chinese People's Liberation Army, PLA) — the official name of the PRC's military. Also used to mean an individual PLA soldier.

noun
Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)the military forces of the PRCPLA soldiera member of the People's Liberation Army
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 解放军。
    jiě fàng jūn Shì shì jiè shàng guī mó zuì dà de jūn duì.
    The PLA is the largest military force in the world.
  • 解放军。
    Tā shì yì míng tuì wǔ jiě fàng jūn.
    He is a retired PLA soldier.
  • 解放军。
    jiě fàng jūn Zài kàng hóng jiù zāi zhōng fā huī le zhòng yào zuò yòng.
    The PLA played an important role in flood relief efforts.

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.

解放liberate
解jiěuntie放fàngrelease
联合Coordinate
军jūnarmy

解放 and 军 combine: an army associated with liberation.

Characters in this word

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

解 shows 刀 (knife) separating 角 (horn) from 牛 (cow), giving the picture of cutting up an ox.

Open 解 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng放fàng
Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →

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 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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