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卫生部长 (wèi shēng bù cháng) — Minister of Health

Definition

noun
Minister of Health
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 卫生部长。
    wèi shēng bù cháng Zài huì yì shàng jiè shào le xīn de gōng gòng wèi shēng zhèng cè.
    The Minister of Health introduced new public health policy at the meeting.
  • 卫生部长。
    Quán guó rén dà rèn mìng le yí wèi xīn de wèi shēng bù cháng.
    The National People's Congress appointed a new Minister of Health.
  • 卫生部长。
    wèi shēng bù cháng Hū yù shì mín zhù yì gè rén wèi shēng.
    The Minister of Health called on citizens to pay attention to personal hygiene.

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.

卫生health
卫wèiprotect生shēnglife
动宾Verb + object
部长department chief
部bùdepartment长chángchief
偏正Modifier + head

卫生 relates to health and 部长 means a department chief, together naming the minister of health.

Characters in this word

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 衛; 卫 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíng
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi衛wèi
Same sound today

The traditional form 衛 is built from 行 as the sense part and 韋 as the sound part; the simplified 卫 is a shorthand.

Open 卫 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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
邑邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu部bù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Open 部 →

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 & PoliticsProfessions & Jobs

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