弃权 (qì quán) — to waive a right (legal, formal); to abstain (from voting)

Definition

弃权 (qìquán) is a formal verb used specifically in voting or legal contexts: 'to abstain' or 'to waive a right.' Unlike the general 放弃 ('to give up / abandon'), 弃权 refers only to relinquishing a vote or claim.

verb
to waive a right (legal, formal)to abstain (from voting)

Examples

  • ，弃权。
    Zài zǒng tǒng xuǎn jǔ zhōng, tā qì quán le.
    He abstained in the presidential election.
  • ，弃权。
    Yóu yú gè rén yuán yīn, tā duì zhè cì bǐ sài qì quán le.
    Due to personal reasons, she abstained from this competition.
  • ，，弃权。
    Zài gǔ dōng dà huì shàng, duō shù rén tóu piào, shǎo shù rén qì quán.
    At the shareholders' meeting, the majority voted and the minority abstained.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

弃qìgive up
权quánright

弃 means to give up and 权 means right, so together they mean to give up a right or abstain.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 棄; 弃 is its simplified writing.

  • 子子zǐchild
  • 𠀠𠀠𠀠basket
  • 廾廾gǒngtwo hands

The traditional form 棄, not the simplified 弃, shows 子 (child), 𠀠 (basket), and 廾 (two hands), as a picture of throwing out a child in a basket.

Open 弃 →

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 權; 权 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn權quán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 權 shows 木, a tree, with 雚 giving the sound; it named a kind of tree and was used for a standard weight. The simplified 权 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 权 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Rights & CitizenshipLaw & Justice

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