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地方官 (dì fāng guān) — local government official (esp. in historical or bureaucratic contexts)

Definition

A historical or bureaucratic term for an official governing a local region, distinct from a 中央 (central) government official.

noun
local government official (esp. in historical or bureaucratic contexts)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 地方官。
    Tā shì yí wèi gōng zhèng de dì fāng guān.
    He is a fair local official.
  • 地方官。
    Gǔ dài dì fāng guān fù zé guǎn dì fāng de shì qing.
    In ancient times, local officials were in charge of local affairs.
  • 地方官。
    Zhè xiē dì fāng guān bì xū wèi bǎi xìng fú wù.
    These local officials must serve the people.

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.

地方place
地dìland方fāngdirection
联合Coordinate
官guānofficial

地 and 方 together mean a place, and 官 is the official serving that place.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 方 →

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

  • 宀宀mián
  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤

官 pairs 宀, a roof, with 𠂤, rooms beneath it, to depict an official building.

Open 官 →
Appears in
Government & PoliticsProfessions & Jobs

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