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当权 (dāng quán) — to hold power, to be in power

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to hold power' or 'to be in power,' used mainly for governments, parties, and leaders — not for everyday authority. Closer in tone to 执政 than to plain verbs like 掌权.

verb
to hold powerto be in power

Examples

  • 当权。
    Tā bú zài dāng quán le.
    He no longer holds power.
  • 当权。
    Zhè ge zhèng dǎng yǐ jīng dāng quán èr shí nián le.
    This political party has been in power for 20 years.
  • 。
    Tā dāng le shí nián quán cái xià tái.
    He held power for ten years before stepping down.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

当dānghold
权quánpower

当 means to hold or be in charge, and 权 means power; together they mean to hold power.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 當; 当 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng當dāng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 當 combines 田 (field) with 尚; the evidence describes fields facing each other.

Open 当 →

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
Government & Politics

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