情报局 (qíng bào jú) — intelligence agency

Definition

noun

intelligence agency

Measure word · 个

Examples

情报局。
Tā zài zhè jiā qíng bào jú gōng zuò le shí nián.
He has worked at this intelligence agency for ten years.
情报局，。
Jù qíng bào jú tòu lù, zhè cì xíng dòng fēi cháng chéng gōng.
According to the intelligence agency, this operation was very successful.
情报局。
Zhè ge qíng bào jú zuó tiān fā bù le zhòng yào xiāo xi.
This intelligence agency released important news yesterday.

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.

情报intelligence

情qíngsituation报bàoreport

偏正Modifier + head

局júagency

情报 joins situation and report, while 局 names an agency, giving intelligence agency.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

青

青qīng情qíng

Same sound today

情 shows 心 (heart) beside 青, which gives the sound. The heart part points to feelings and inner states.

Open 情 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 報; 报 is its simplified writing.

㚔㚔㚔handcuffs
𠬝𠬝𠬝to subdue

The traditional form 報 puts 㚔 (handcuffs) beside 𠬝 (to subdue), showing someone restrained and subdued, as in convicting or punishing a guilty person. The simplified 报 is a later shorthand.

Open 报 →

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

尸尸shī

Sound part声符shēngfú

句

句jù局jú

Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Open 局 →

Appears in

Government & Politics