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中队长 (zhōng duì zhǎng) — leader of a squadron; captain of a middle-level unit

Definition

中队长 is the leader of a 中队, a mid-level unit in paramilitary, police, or Young Pioneers organizations. The example 少先队中队长 shows it used for a Young Pioneers squadron leader.

noun
leader of a squadroncaptain of a middle-level unit

Examples

  • 中队长，。
    Tā shì yì míng yōu xiù de zhōng duì zhǎng, dài lǐng duì yuán wán chéng le rèn wu.
    He is an excellent squadron leader who led his team to complete the mission.
  • 中队长。
    Shào xiān duì zhōng duì zhǎng zhèng zài zǔ zhī dà jiā jìn xíng xùn liàn.
    The Young Pioneers squadron leader is organizing everyone for training.
  • 中队长。
    Zhè cì yǎn xí yóu zhōng duì zhǎng fù zé zhǐ huī.
    This exercise is under the command of the squadron leader.

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.

中队middle-level team
中zhōngmiddle队duìteam
偏正Modifier + head
长chángleader

中队 names a middle-level team; 长 names the leader, so 中队长 is the leader of that team.

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 隊; 队 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阜阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
㒸
㒸㒸隊duì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隊 has 阜 as the meaning part and 㒸 as the sound part.

Open 队 →

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
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