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总署 (zǒng shǔ) — head office; main administration; (historical) Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Definition

总署 refers to a top-level government headquarters or 'general administration' — usually part of a longer official name (e.g. 海关总署). Not a standalone everyday noun; treat it as a building-block for formal institutional names.

noun
head officemain administration(historical) Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Examples

  • 。
    Zǒng shǔ de bàn gōng dì diǎn zài běi jīng.
    The head office is located in Beijing.
  • 。
    Tā céng zài hǎi guān zǒng shǔ gōng zuò guò.
    He once worked at the General Administration of Customs.
  • 。
    Qīng cháo de zǒng shǔ fù zé wài jiāo shì wù.
    The Qing dynasty's Ministry of Foreign Affairs handled diplomatic affairs.

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.

总zǒnggeneral
署shǔoffice

“总” gives general or head, and “署” gives office, so the sense is a main administrative office.

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 總; 总 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
悤
悤cōng總zǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 總 has 糸, a rope, and 悤 as a sound part; the rope part is for binding together. This account is for 總, not for 总.

Open 总 →

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
罒Written in full as网wǎngnet
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě署shǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

署 shows a net 罒 for its meaning, and uses 者 to give its sound.

Open 署 →
Appears in
Groups & OrganizationsGovernment & Politics

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