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安全部 (ān quán bù) — Ministry of State Security (of China); security department (of a company or organization)

Definition

In Chinese, 安全部 refers to a security department; in China, the capital-A capital-S “Ministry of State Security” (MSS) — one of the country’s intelligence agencies. It is a government ministry name, not a common everyday term.

noun
Ministry of State Security (of China)security department (of a company or organization)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 安全部。
    Zhōng guó ān quán bù fù zé diào chá wēi hài guó jiā ān quán de àn jiàn.
    China's Ministry of State Security is responsible for investigating cases that endanger national security.
  • 安全部。
    Tā zài gōng sī de ān quán bù dān rèn zhǔ guǎn.
    He serves as the manager in the company's security department.
  • 安全部。
    ān quán bù De zhí zé zhī yī shì bǎo hù jī mì xìn xī.
    One of the duties of the security department is to protect classified information.

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.

安全security
安ānsafe全quáncomplete
联合Coordinate
部bùdepartment

“安全” points to safety and “部” names a department, together a security department.

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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

The shape puts 入 together with 玉 to show a whole piece of jade, so it means complete or whole.

Open 全 →

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 →
Appears in
Government & Politics

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