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大将 (dà jiàng) — high-ranking general; senior military commander; trusted lieutenant; key aide (figurative)

Definition

大将 literally means a 'senior general' (大 = great, 将 = general) and is commonly used figuratively for the key, most capable person on a team — the go-to expert or star performer.

noun
high-ranking generalsenior military commandertrusted lieutenantkey aide (figurative)
Measure word · 员

Examples

  • 大将。
    Tā céng jīng shì zhè zhī bù duì de dà jiàng.
    He was once the senior general of this unit.
  • ，大将。
    Zài gōng sī lǐ, tā shì wǒ men bù mén de dà jiàng.
    At the company, she is the key figure in our department.
  • ，大将。
    Zhè chǎng bǐ sài zhōng, tā shì qiú duì de dà jiàng.
    In this match, he is the team's star player.

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.

大dàsenior
将jiānggeneral

The 大 (senior) and 将 (general) form a high-ranking general.

Characters in this word

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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 將; 将 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat
寸寸cùnhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán將jiāng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 將 combines 爿, which also supplies a sound and may show a small table, with ⺼ (meat) and 寸 (hand) to picture offering meat as tribute. The simplified 将 is a later shorthand.

Open 将 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseProfessions & Jobs

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