财政部长 (cái zhèng bù zhǎng) — minister of finance

Definition

noun
minister of finance
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 财政部长。
    Tā shì yí wèi zī shēn de cái zhèng bù zhǎng.
    He is a seasoned minister of finance.
  • 财政部长。
    cái zhèng bù zhǎng Zhèng zài zhào kāi jīng jì huì yì.
    The minister of finance is convening an economic meeting.
  • 财政部长。
    Xīn shàng rèn de cái zhèng bù zhǎng tí chū le gǎi gé fāng àn.
    The newly appointed minister of finance proposed a reform plan.

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.

财政finance
财cáiwealth政zhèngadministration
偏正Modifier + head
部长minister
部bùdepartment长chángchief
偏正Modifier + head

财 wealth and 政 administration make 财政, while 部 department and 长 chief make 部长; together they name the minister of finance.

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 財; 财 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell
Sound part声符shēngfú
才
才cái財cái
Same sound today

The traditional form 財 has 貝 (shell) next to 才, which gives the sound; the simplified 财 is a later shorthand.

Open 财 →

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
攴攴pūaction
Sound part声符shēngfú
正
正zhèng政zhèng
Same sound today

政 combines 正, which gives the sound, with 攴, an action-related part.

Open 政 →

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
邑邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu部bù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Open 部 →

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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