总行 (zǒng háng) — head office, main office (of a bank or financial institution)

Definition

Refers specifically to the head/main office of a bank or financial institution, distinct from local 分行 branches. Used in formal, business, and news contexts.

noun
head officemain office (of a bank or financial institution)
Measure word · 家

Examples

  • 总行。
    Zhè jiā yín háng de zǒng háng zài běi jīng.
    The head office of this bank is in Beijing.
  • 总行。
    Tā zài zhōng yāng yín háng de zǒng háng gōng zuò.
    She works at the main office of the central bank.
  • 总行。
    Zhè ge jué dìng bì xū yóu zǒng háng pī zhǔn.
    This decision must be approved by the head office.

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zǒnghead
行xíngbank

Head and bank combine to name the main office of a bank.

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 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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