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自治 (zì zhì) — (noun) autonomy, self-government; (noun) self-discipline

Definition

自治 covers two related ideas: a group's right to govern itself (regional autonomy) and a person's control over their own behavior (self-discipline). In political/legal contexts it means self-government; in personal contexts it means self-discipline.

noun
autonomyself-governmentself-discipline

Examples

  • 自治。
    Zhè ge dì qū yǒu gāo dù de zì zhì.
    This region has a high degree of autonomy.
  • 自治。
    Tā tōng guò yán gé de zì zhì gǎi diào le huài xí guàn.
    He got rid of bad habits through strict self-discipline.
  • 自治。
    Xué shēng huì tōng guò zì zhì lái guǎn lǐ zì jǐ.
    The student union manages itself through self-governance.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái治zhì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

治 has 水 (water) and 台; 台 gives the sound, and the character named a river.

Open 治 →
Appears in
Government & Politics

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