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官僚 (guān liáo) — bureaucrat (a government official, often with negative implication); bureaucracy (the system or structure of government administration)

Definition

A 'bureaucrat' or 'bureaucracy' with a negative slant — implying rigid, self-serving officials, not a neutral civil servant like 公务员. Also functions as 'bureaucratic' (e.g. 官僚作风 'bureaucratic style').

noun
bureaucrat (a government official, often with negative implication)bureaucracy (the system or structure of government administration)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 官僚。
    Zhè ge guān liáo zhī guān xīn zì jǐ de lì yì.
    This bureaucrat only cares about his own interests.
  • 官僚，。
    guān liáo Zhì dù xiào lǜ dī xià, xū yào gǎi gé.
    The bureaucratic system is inefficient and needs reform.
  • 官僚。
    Tā de guān liáo zuò fēng ràng xià shǔ hěn fǎn gǎn.
    His bureaucratic style makes his subordinates very resentful.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

官guānofficial
僚liáocolleague

官 (official) and 僚 (colleague) together refer to officials as a class.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
尞
尞liáo僚liáo
Same sound today

僚 combines 人 (person) with 尞, which supplies the sound liáo.

Open 僚 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Government & Politics

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