远征军 (yuǎn zhēng jūn) — expeditionary force

Definition

A military expeditionary force — troops sent far from home to fight in a foreign campaign (often historical, e.g. WWII). Distinct from a local 军队 in that the force operates abroad.

noun
expeditionary force
Measure word · 支

Examples

  • 远征军。
    Zhè zhī yuǎn zhēng jūn zài èr zhàn zhōng fā huī le zhòng yào zuò yòng.
    This expeditionary force played an important role in World War II.
  • 远征军。
    Lì shǐ shū shàng jì zǎi le yuǎn zhēng jūn de jiān kǔ lì chéng.
    History books record the arduous journey of the expeditionary force.
  • 远征军。
    Xǔ duō yuǎn zhēng jūn de shì bīng zài yě méi yǒu huí dào jiā xiāng.
    Many soldiers of the expeditionary force never returned to their hometowns.

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.

远征distant campaign
远yuǎnfar征zhēngcampaign
偏正Modifier + head
军jūnarmy

远 “far” and 征 “campaign” form a distant campaign, and 军 means army, so it is an army sent far away.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán远yuǎn
Same sound today

远 combines 辶, meaning walk, with 元, used for its sound.

Open 远 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 徵; 征 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 征 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (特征, 象征) it is 徵; in others it is 征.

The story is about the traditional form 徵. It originally meant punishment, from a picture of a knife with tooth-shaped protrusions on its back; later forms kept that sense.

Open 征 →

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 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.