摊派 (tān pài) — (verb) to apportion (tasks, work) by official requirement; (verb) to impose or allocate (expenses, quotas) as an obligation

Definition

摊派 (verb) means authorities assigning tasks, quotas, or expenses to lower units as a mandatory obligation. Often carries a negative sense of being imposed from above, as in 摊派下来.

verb
to apportion (tasks, work) by official requirementto impose or allocate (expenses, quotas) as an obligation

Examples

  • 摊派。
    Gōng sī bǎ é wài de gōng zuò tān pài gěi měi gè bù mén.
    The company apportioned the extra work to each department.
  • 摊派，。
    Zhè xiē fèi yòng shì shàng jí tān pài xià lái de, bù néng jiǎn shǎo.
    These expenses were allocated down from higher authorities and cannot be reduced.
  • 摊派。
    Zhèng fǔ xiàng qǐ yè tān pài le huán bǎo zhǐ biāo.
    The government assigned environmental targets to the enterprises.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

摊tānapportion
派pàiassign

摊 means spread out or apportion, and 派 means assign or send out, yielding dividing tasks or costs.

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 攤; 摊 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
難
難nán攤tān
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 攤 uses 手 (hand) and 難 for sound.

Open 摊 →

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
水水shuǐwater; river
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂢
𠂢𠂢派pài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

派 is built from 水 (water/river) and 𠂢. 𠂢 gives the sound, and 水 was added later to tell the character apart from the older form.

Open 派 →

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