篡权 (cuàn quán) — to usurp power (usually by illegitimate means in a political context)

Definition

Means to seize political power by force or fraud — strongly negative, implying illegitimacy, not a neutral change of government.

verb
to usurp power (usually by illegitimate means in a political context)

Examples

  • 篡权，。
    Tā qǐ tú cuàn quán, dàn shī bài le.
    He attempted to usurp power but failed.
  • 篡，。
    Tā cuàn le quán, chéng le dú cái zhě.
    He usurped power and became a dictator.
  • 篡，。
    Lì shǐ shàng yǒu rén cuàn guò quán, dàn dōu shī bài le.
    In history, some people have usurped power, but they all failed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

篡cuànusurp
权quánpower

篡 means usurp and 权 means power; together they denote seizing power unlawfully.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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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