阀 (fá) - powerful and influential person, family, or group & valve (in mechanics)
阀 · fá
powerful and influential person, family, or group;
valve (in mechanics);
used in terms like warlord or financial clique
powerful and influential person, family, or groupvalve (in mechanics)used in terms like warlord or financial clique
Usage highlights
warlordfinancial cliquepowerful familyvalveair valvesafety valve
Usage & contexts
Examples
- The warlord controlled the region (军阀统治).
- This is a financial clique (财阀).
- He comes from a powerful family (门阀).
- Check the water valve (水阀).
Collocations
- warlord(军阀)
- financial clique(财阀)
- powerful family(门阀)
- valve(阀门)
- air valve(气阀)
- safety valve(安全阀)
Idioms
- Warlord era(军阀混战)
- Powerful families and influential clans(门阀世家)
- Financial oligarchy(财阀统治)
Cultural background
FAQ- Originally referred to prominent families with hereditary official positions in imperial China
- During Republican China, '军阀' became prominent as regional military leaders challenged central authority
- In modern contexts, often carries negative connotations of excessive power and influence