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子公司 (zǐ gōng sī) — subsidiary company; subsidiary corporation

Definition

A subsidiary company owned or controlled by a parent (母/总公司). 子公司 has its own legal status but the parent holds the controlling stake.

noun
subsidiary companysubsidiary corporation
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 子公司。
    Zhè jiā zǐ gōng sī shì wǒ men jí tuán de zhǔ yào kòng gǔ gōng sī.
    This subsidiary is the main holding company of our group.
  • 子公司。
    Wǒ men de zǐ gōng sī qù nián shōu gòu le yì jiā dé guó gōng sī.
    Our subsidiary acquired a German company last year.
  • 子公司。
    Chéng lì zǐ gōng sī xū yào jīng guò dāng dì zhèng fǔ shěn pī.
    Setting up a subsidiary requires approval from the local government.

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.

子zǐchild/subordinate
公司company
公gōngpublic司sīoffice
偏正Modifier + head

子 suggests a child-like subordinate unit, and 公司, from 公 and 司, names the company, so together they mean a subsidiary company.

Characters in this word

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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 →

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

The evidence is inconclusive: one suggestion sees 司 as a mouth giving orders beside a mark of authority, another reads that mark as a hand, and another sees it as a reversed older form.

Open 司 →
Appears in
Business & Commerce

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