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左翼 (zuǒ yì) — left wing (military, flank); the Left (political)

Definition

noun
left wing (military, flank)the Left (political)

Examples

  • 左翼。
    Bù duì de zuǒ yì shòu dào le gōng jī.
    The army's left flank came under attack.
  • 左翼。
    Tā de zhèng zhì guān diǎn shǔ yú zuǒ yì.
    His political views belong to the left wing.
  • 左翼。
    zuǒ yì Hé yòu yì zài yì huì shàng jī liè biàn lùn.
    The left wing and the right wing debated fiercely in parliament.

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.

左zuǒleft
翼yìwing

左 means left and 翼 means wing, so the word names the left wing or flank.

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
工工gōngwork
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂇
𠂇𠂇左zuǒ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

左 grew from the picture 𠂇, a left hand, with 工 (work) added later.

Open 左 →

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
羽羽yǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
異
異yì翼yì
Same sound today

翼 combines 羽 (feathers/wings) with 異, which supplies the sound.

Open 翼 →
Appears in
Government & Politics

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