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首长 (shǒu zhǎng) — senior officer, leading cadre, chief

Definition

A formal/institutional term for a senior commanding officer or top cadre in the military, police, or government hierarchy. Stronger in rank than 领导 (lǐngdǎo, a general 'leader') and implies official command authority.

noun
senior officerleading cadrechief
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 首长。
    Wǒ men de shǒu zhǎng shì yí wèi hěn yǒu jīng yàn de lǐng dǎo.
    Our senior officer is a very experienced leader.
  • 首长。
    Jīn tiān xià wǔ shǒu zhǎng yào lái zhè lǐ shì chá.
    This afternoon, the chief is coming here for an inspection.
  • 首长。
    Suǒ yǒu mìng lìng dōu xū yào jīng guò shǒu zhǎng de pī zhǔn.
    All orders need to be approved by the commanding officer.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

首shǒuchief
长chángleader

首 and 长 both mean a leader or chief, so together they name a senior official.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape comes from an old drawing of an animal's head, showing a long mouth and horns; the version with hair became 首.

Open 首 →

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 →
Appears in
Government & PoliticsMilitary & Defense

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