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特权 (tè quán) — privilege, prerogative

Definition

特权 is a special privilege granted to certain people — stronger and more exclusive than 权利 ('a right everyone has'). In computing, 权限 is the system-level equivalent.

noun
privilegeprerogative

Examples

  • 特权。
    Làn yòng tè quán huì zào chéng shè huì bù gōng.
    Abusing privilege will cause social injustice.
  • 特权。
    Wǒ men yīng dāng qǔ xiāo yí qiè bú bì yào de tè quán.
    We should abolish all unnecessary privileges.
  • 特权。
    Tā cóng bù yīn wèi zì jǐ de tè quán ér kàn bù qǐ bié rén.
    He never looks down on others because of his own privileges.

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.

特tèspecial
权quánright

特 means special and 权 means right, so the word describes a right not available to everyone.

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
牛牛niúox
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì特tè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape combines 牛 (ox) with 寺, which gives the pronunciation; it originally meant a large bull.

Open 特 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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