调令 (diào lìng) — transfer order (a document or directive reassigning an employee to a different position or location)

Definition

A formal, official transfer order from an organization reassigning a person to a new post or location. It is a noun referring to the document itself, not the act of moving.

noun
transfer order (a document or directive reassigning an employee to a different position or location)
Measure word · 份

Examples

  • 调令，。
    Tā shōu dào le gōng sī de diào lìng, xià ge yuè yào qù shàng hǎi gōng zuò.
    He received the company's transfer order and will go to work in Shanghai next month.
  • 调令。
    Zhè fèn diào lìng shì rén shì bù zhí jiē xià dá de.
    This transfer order was issued directly by the HR department.
  • 调令，。
    Méi yǒu diào lìng, nǐ bù néng shàn zì diào dòng gǎng wèi.
    Without a transfer order, you cannot change your position on your own.

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.

调tiáotransfer
令lìngorder

“调” means transfer and “令” is an order, giving a directive to transfer someone.

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 調; 调 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
周
周zhōu調tiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 調 pairs 言 (speech) with 周, which shows how it was pronounced. The simplified 调 is a later shorthand.

Open 调 →

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

  • 亼亼jí
  • 卩卩jié

In 令, the upper 亼 is an open mouth and the lower 卩 is a kneeling person, together showing someone giving orders.

Open 令 →

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