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中坚 (zhōng jiān) — backbone; core; most essential part (of a group or organization)

Definition

中坚 (zhōngjiān) names the 'backbone' or 'core' group of people — the reliable, central members on which an organization depends, not the whole organization itself. Often paired with 力量 ('force') as 中坚力量.

noun
backbonecoremost essential part (of a group or organization)

Examples

  • 中坚。
    Zhè zhī bù duì shì jūn duì de zhōng jiān.
    This unit is the backbone of the military.
  • 中坚。
    Zhè xiē yuán gōng shì gōng sī fā zhǎn de zhōng jiān lì liàng.
    These employees are the core force of the company's development.
  • 中坚。
    Qīng nián shì shè huì de zhōng jiān.
    Young people are the backbone of society.

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.

中zhōngmiddle
坚jiānsolid

The 中 of center and the 坚 of firmness form the solid core of a group.

Characters in this word

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

The original picture showed a flagpole with a drum in the middle, set up in the center of a field.

Open 中 →

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 堅; 坚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān堅jiān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 堅 pairs 臤, giving the sound, with 土, earth, giving the sense; the simplified 坚 is a later shorthand.

Open 坚 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsGroups & Organizations

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