总领事 (zǒng lǐng shì) — consul general

Definition

A high-ranking diplomat who heads a consulate in a foreign city, above a 领事 (consul). 总领事 is the consul general, the senior official leading the office.

noun
consul general
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 总领事。
    Tā shì měi guó zhù huá zǒng lǐng shì.
    He is the U.S. consul general in China.
  • 总领事。
    zǒng lǐng shì Zuó tiān cān jiā le kāi mù shì.
    The consul general attended the opening ceremony yesterday.
  • 总领事。
    Zhè wèi zǒng lǐng shì huì shuō sān zhǒng yǔ yán.
    This consul general can speak three languages.

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
领事consul
领lǐnglead事shìaffairs
动宾Verb + object

总 gives the general or chief sense, and 领事 names the consul, with 领 suggesting lead and 事 affairs.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 領; 领 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng領lǐng
Same sound today

The traditional form 領 has 令 as a sound part and 頁 as a meaning part; the simplified 领 is a later shorthand.

Open 领 →

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

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →

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