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公安局 (gōng ān jú) — public security bureau (China's police authority)

Definition

The standard name for China's police bureau — the agency you go to for IDs, reporting crimes, and household registration (户口). Not directly interchangeable with 派出所 (a local neighborhood police station).

noun
public security bureau (China's police authority)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 公安局。
    Wǒ míng tiān yào qù gōng ān jú bàn shēn fèn zhèng.
    I need to go to the public security bureau tomorrow to apply for an ID card.
  • 公安局，。
    Tā zài gōng ān jú bào le àn, diū shī le qián bāo.
    He reported the case at the public security bureau after losing his wallet.
  • 公安局。
    gōng ān jú De jǐng guān hěn kuài gǎn dào le xiàn chǎng.
    The officers from the public security bureau arrived at the scene quickly.

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.

公安public security
公gōngpublic安ānsecurity
偏正Modifier + head
局júbureau

公安 means public security, and 局 is a bureau, so 公安局 is a public security bureau.

Characters in this word

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

One theory sees 公 as a picture of a wide-mouthed, round-bottomed jar.

Open 公 →

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù局jú
Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Open 局 →
Appears in
HSK 2.0 Level 6

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