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让位 (ràng wèi) — to abdicate, to give up one's position to another; to yield to, to give way (to a newer or better thing)

Definition

让位 means to step aside so someone or something else can take your place. Use it both for people (an official giving up a role) and for things (an older product or industry yielding to a newer one).

verb
to abdicate, to give up one's position to anotherto yield toto give way (to a newer or better thing)

Examples

  • 让位。
    Lǎo guó wáng jué dìng ràng wèi gěi nián qīng de wáng zǐ.
    The old king decided to abdicate in favor of the young prince.
  • ，。
    Tā dāng zhǔ xí shí nián le, zuì jìn zhōng yú ràng le wèi.
    He has been the chairman for ten years and finally stepped down recently.
  • ，让位。
    Suí zhe kē jì fā zhǎn, chuán tǒng háng yè màn màn ràng wèi gěi xīn xīng chǎn yè.
    With the development of technology, traditional industries are gradually giving way to emerging ones.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

让ràngyield
位wèiposition

让位 uses 让, yielding, with 位, a position, to mean giving up or moving aside.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 讓; 让 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
襄
襄xiāng讓ràng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 讓 combines 言, showing speech, with 襄, giving the sound; the evidence links it to criticizing or reproaching. The simplified 让 is a later shorthand.

Open 让 →

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì位wèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

位 combines 人 (man), related to people, with 立, which gives the sound. It was often simply written as 立.

Open 位 →
Appears in
Government & Politics

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