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战线 (zhàn xiàn) — battle line, front line; (figurative) a specific field or sector of activity (e.g. in work, politics, or production)

Definition

战线 means 'front line' in two senses: a literal military battle line, or — more commonly in modern usage — a figurative 'front' for a field of activity (e.g. the education front 教育战线). Used in formal, written contexts like political or work reports.

noun
battle linefront line(figurative) a specific field or sector of activity (e.g. in work, politics, or production)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 战线。
    Jūn duì zài zhàn xiàn shàng qǔ dé le shèng lì.
    The army achieved victory on the front line.
  • 。
    Tǒng yī zhàn xiàn shì tuán jié bù tóng lì liàng de zhòng yào fāng fǎ.
    The united front is an important method for uniting different forces.
  • 战线。
    Tā zài jiào yù zhàn xiàn shàng gōng zuò le sān shí nián.
    He worked on the education front for thirty years.

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.

战zhànbattle
线xiànline

战 (battle) specifies what kind of 线 (line) is meant, giving battle line or front.

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
戈戈gē
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn战zhàn
Same sound today

战 pairs 占, which gives its sound, with 戈, a weapon.

Open 战 →

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 線; 线 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
泉
泉quán線xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 線 uses 糹 (silk/thread) to show the meaning and 泉 to suggest the sound; the simplified 线 is a later shorthand.

Open 线 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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