监督 (jiān dū) — to supervise, to oversee; to monitor, to inspect | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

监督 means 'to supervise' with an authority figure overseeing a person or process (e.g. a project, food safety). Unlike 监测/监视/监控, it focuses on directing the work, not continuous technical watching.

verb

to superviseto overseeto monitorto inspect

Examples

监督。
Tā fù zé jiān dū zhè ge xiàng mù.
He is responsible for supervising this project.
监督。
Zhèng fǔ yīng gāi jiān dū shí pǐn ān quán.
The government should supervise food safety.
监督。
Wǒ men xū yào jiān dū zì jǐ de xué xí jìn dù.
We need to monitor our own study progress.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

督dūurge/check

监 (watch) and 督 (urge/check) both carry supervision, giving supervise.

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 監; 监 is its simplified writing.

臥臥wòa person with an emphasized eye
皿皿mǐncontainer

The traditional form 監 shows 臥, a person with an emphasized eye, looking into 皿, a container; the simplified 监 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

叔目督

Meaning part形符xíngfú

目目mùeye

Sound part声符shēngfú

叔

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

督 pairs 目 (eye) with 叔, which gives the sound; the shape shows looking over or overseeing with eyes.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Management

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