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越权 (yuè quán) — to overstep one's authority, to exceed one's powers

Definition

越权 (verb) means to exceed one's authority — to make decisions or act outside the limits of one's role, often with negative consequences. Often appears in formal workplace or legal contexts.

verb
to overstep one's authorityto exceed one's powers

Examples

  • 越权。
    Tā jīng cháng zài gōng zuò zhōng yuè quán.
    He often oversteps his authority at work.
  • ，。
    Tā yīn wèi yuè le quán, bèi gōng sī kāi chú le.
    He was fired by the company because he overstepped his authority.
  • ，越权。
    Gōng sī guī dìng, rèn hé rén bù dé yuè quán bàn shì.
    Company policy states that no one may handle affairs by exceeding their authority.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

越yuèexceed
权quánauthority

The idea of 越 as exceeding combines with 权 as authority to mean overstep power.

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
走走zǒuto walk or run
Sound part声符shēngfú
戉
戉yuè越yuè
Same sound today

越 is built from 走 (to walk or run) and 戉 (which supplies the sound); the 走 part shows the idea of going over or crossing.

Open 越 →

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 權; 权 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn權quán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 權 shows 木, a tree, with 雚 giving the sound; it named a kind of tree and was used for a standard weight. The simplified 权 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 权 →
Appears in
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