放权 (fàng quán) — to delegate authority; to devolve power to a lower level

Definition

Formal verb meaning to delegate authority downward — letting lower-level units make decisions themselves. Most often used in organizational or political contexts, not everyday conversation.

verb
to delegate authorityto devolve power to a lower level

Examples

  • 放权。
    Gōng sī jué dìng zhú bù xiàng xià jí bù mén fàng quán.
    The company decided to gradually delegate power to lower-level departments.
  • 。
    Zhèng fǔ yǐ jīng fàng le yí bù fen quán gěi dì fāng zhèng fǔ.
    The government has already delegated some power to local governments.
  • ，。
    Wèi le tí gāo xiào lǜ, zǒng bù jué dìng duō fàng yì xiē quán.
    To improve efficiency, headquarters decided to delegate more authority.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

放fàngrelease
权quánpower

To 放 release 权 power downward, letting a lower level hold it.

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
攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng放fàng
Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →

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 權; 权 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
雚
雚guàn權quán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 權 shows 木, a tree, with 雚 giving the sound; it named a kind of tree and was used for a standard weight. The simplified 权 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 权 →

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