台柱 (tái zhù) — pillar, mainstay, star performer (someone or so…

Definition

台柱 (táizhù) literally 'stage pillar' — the lead performer or core person a group depends on. Almost always refers to people, not projects or objects.

noun

pillarmainstaystar performer (someone or something that is crucial to an organization or team)

台柱。
Tā shì wǒ men gōng sī de tái zhù.
He is the mainstay of our company.
台柱。
Zhè wèi yǎn yuán shì jù tuán de tái zhù.
This actor is the star performer of the troupe.
台柱，。
Zhè ge xiàng mù shì gōng sī de tái zhù, bù néng shī bài.
This project is the company's mainstay; it cannot fail.

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.

台 is stage and 柱 is pillar, so 台柱 is a pillar supporting the stage, hence a mainstay.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臺; 台 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 台 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (窗台, 电视台) it is 臺; in others (台灯, 台球) (台风) it is 檯 or 台 or 颱.

The traditional form 臺 is the 喬 + 室 form; earlier versions combined a sound part with 室, and an old reading saw it as a watch tower.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

木主柱

Meaning part形符xíngfú

木木mùwood

Sound part声符shēngfú

主

Same sound today

The left part 木 shows that 柱 is connected with wood. The right part 主 gives the pronunciation.