旧部 (jiù bù) — former subordinates; former colleagues from a previous workplace or military unit

Definition

旧部 means people who used to serve under you — a leader's former subordinates, with a formal or military tone. Stronger and more hierarchical than the neutral 以前的同事 ('former colleagues').

noun
former subordinatesformer colleagues from a previous workplace or military unit

Examples

  • 旧部。
    Wǒ zài gōng sī yù dào le yǐ qián de jiù bù.
    I ran into my former subordinates at the company.
  • 旧部。
    Tā de jiù bù dōu duì tā hěn zhōng chéng.
    His former subordinates are all very loyal to him.
  • 旧部。
    Zhè wèi jiāng jūn de jiù bù zhì jīn hái jì de tā de jiào dǎo.
    This general's former subordinates still remember his teachings.

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.

旧jiùformer
部bùunit

旧 means former, and 部 refers to a unit or its people, so it denotes former subordinates.

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 舊; 旧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
雈雈huánowl
Sound part声符shēngfú
臼
臼jiù舊jiù
Same sound today

The traditional form of 旧 is 舊, which shows 雈, an owl, above 臼, which gives the sound.

Open 旧 →

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
邑邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu部bù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

部 pairs 咅, which gives the sound, with 邑. It originally named a place in today's Gansu.

Open 部 →

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