神权 (shén quán) — (noun) religious authority, the power of religious institutions or leaders; (noun) theocracy, a government system ruled by religious figures; (noun) rule by divine right, the doctrine that sovereign authority comes from God

Definition

The authority wielded by religious institutions or figures, including the political system (theocracy) where they rule directly. It overlaps with both governance vocabulary and religious vocabulary in Chinese.

noun
religious authority, the power of religious institutions or leaderstheocracy, a government system ruled by religious figuresrule by divine right, the doctrine that sovereign authority comes from God
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，神权。
    Zhōng shì jì de ōu zhōu, shén quán wǎng wǎng gāo yú shì sú jūn zhǔ de quán lì.
    In medieval Europe, religious authority often surpassed the power of secular monarchs.
  • 神权，。
    Yì xiē guó jiā réng rán cǎi yòng shén quán zhì dù, yóu zōng jiào lǐng xiù zhǎng wò zuì gāo quán lì.
    Some countries still adopt a theocratic system, with religious leaders holding supreme power.
  • 神权，。
    Gǔ dài jūn zhǔ cháng xuān chēng zì jǐ de tǒng zhì lái zì shén quán, yǐ cǐ gǒng gù hé fǎ xìng.
    Ancient monarchs often claimed that their rule came from divine right, thereby consolidating its legitimacy.

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.

神shéndivine
权quánpower

神 (divine) and 权 (power) combine to mean authority associated with gods.

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
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →

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 →

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