执照 (zhí zhào) — license, permit

Definition

执照 is a formal certificate proving you are licensed to do a regulated activity (drive, work, operate a business). Compare 牌照 (business/operation permits and license plates) and 证书 (general credentials or qualifications).

noun
licensepermit
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 执照。
    Tā kǎo le sān cì cái ná dào jià shǐ zhí zhào.
    He passed the test three times before getting his driver's license.
  • ，。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī méi yǒu yíng yè zhí zhào, bù néng kāi yè.
    This company doesn't have a business license, so it can't open.
  • 执照？
    Nǐ de gōng zuò zhí zhào shén me shí hou dào qī?
    When does your work permit expire?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

执zhíhold
照zhàocertificate

执 means to hold, and 照 means a certificate, together they refer to a held certificate or license.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 執; 执 is its simplified writing.

  • 㚔㚔㚔criminal / handcuffs
  • 丮丮jǐhand

The traditional form 執 shows 㚔, a handcuffed criminal, with 丮, a hand, giving the idea of arrest. The simplified 执 is a later shorthand, so its current parts are not the original pieces.

Open 执 →

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
灬Written in full as火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
昭
昭zhāo照zhào
Same sound today

照 uses 灬, a bottom form of 火 (fire), plus 昭 for the sound.

Open 照 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 5Law & Justice5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.