超级大国 (chāo jí dà guó) — superpower (a country with dominant global influence)

Definition

A superpower is a country with dominant global power — political, economic, and military. Stronger and broader than 大国 ('major power').

noun
superpower (a country with dominant global influence)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 超级大国。
    Zhè ge guó jiā yǐ jīng chéng wéi shì jiè chāo jí dà guó.
    This country has become a world superpower.
  • 超级大国。
    chāo jí dà guó Zài jīng jì hé jūn shì shàng dōu yǒu hěn dà yǐng xiǎng lì.
    Superpowers have great influence in both economy and military.
  • 超级大国。
    Lì shǐ shàng yǒu jǐ gè zhù míng de chāo jí dà guó.
    There have been several famous superpowers in history.

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.

超级super
超chāobeyond级jílevel
偏正Modifier + head
大国great country
大dàgreat国guócountry
偏正Modifier + head

超 means beyond, 级 means level, 大 means great, and 国 means country, so the sense is a country of the highest level.

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
走走zǒurun
Sound part声符shēngfú
召
召zhào超chāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

超 pairs 走, meaning “run,” with 召, which gives the sound.

Open 超 →

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 級; 级 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí級jí
Same sound today

The traditional form 級 has 糹 (thread) and 及 as a sound part; its original sense was a sequence related to silk. The simplified 级 is a later shorthand.

Open 级 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

Open 国 →

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