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立场 (lì chǎng) — position, standpoint, stance

Definition

立场 is the side you stand on in an argument or negotiation — a clear, often committed position. It is more fixed and confrontational than 观点 (a flexible 'viewpoint'), and stronger than 视角 (one angle of looking).

noun
positionstandpointstance
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，立场。
    Zài zhè ge wèn tí shàng, wǒ de lì chǎng hěn míng què.
    On this issue, my position is very clear.
  • 立场。
    Tā gǎi biàn le zì jǐ de lì chǎng.
    He changed his own stance.
  • 立场，。
    Shuāng fāng lì chǎng bù tóng, xū yào jìn yí bù tǎo lùn.
    The two sides have different positions and need further discussion.

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.

立lìstand
场chǎngplace

立 suggests standing, and 场 suggests a place; together they picture the place where someone stands, hence a standpoint.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Attitudes & Opinions5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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