上议院 (shàng yì yuàn) — upper house; Senate

Definition

The upper chamber of a bicameral legislature, contrasted with 下议院 (lower house). In the U.S. context it is the Senate; in the U.K. it is the House of Lords.

noun
upper houseSenate
Easily confused

Examples

  • 上议院。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de shàng yì yuàn yóu xuǎn jǔ chǎn shēng.
    The upper house of this country is elected.
  • 上议院。
    shàng yì yuàn De yì yuán rèn qī liù nián.
    Senators in the upper house serve six-year terms.
  • 上议院。
    Tā céng jīng zài shàng yì yuàn gōng zuò guò.
    He once worked in the upper house.

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.

上shàngupper
议院house
议yìdeliberation院yuànhouse
偏正Modifier + head

“上” marks the upper side, “议” refers to deliberation, and “院” is a house, so the meaning is the upper deliberative house.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →

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 議; 议 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yántalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
義
義yì議⁰yì
Same sound today

The traditional form 議 pairs 言 (talk) with 義 as a sound component; the simplified 议 is a later shorthand.

Open 议 →

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
完
完wán院yuàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

院 is built from 阝, written in full as 阜, and 完, which gives the sound.

Open 院 →

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