权 (quán): authority, power, right, (literary) to weigh, expedient, temporary
权 (quán) is a Chinese character meaning “authority.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 木 (semantic) and 又 (structural). It ranks #297 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 权 wood. Its radical form 木 (tree) appears in many related characters such as 本 (běn, (bound form) root), 机 (jī, machine, opportunity), 条 (tiáo, strip).
Definitions
- authority
- power
- right
- (literary) to weigh
- expedient
- temporary
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 权 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 权
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 豁免权noun | huò miǎn quán | immunity from prosecution |
| 授权verb | shòu quán | to authorize |
| 特权noun | tè quán | prerogative |
| 无权verb | wú quán | to have no right |
| 权威noun | quán wēi | authority |
| 监护权noun | jiān hù quán | custody (of a child) |
| 权限noun | quán xiàn | scope of authority |
| 人权noun | rén quán | human rights |
| 政权noun | zhèng quán | regime |
| 弃权verb | qì quán | to waive a right |
| 掌权verb | zhǎng quán | to wield (political etc) power |
| 权益noun | quán yì | rights |
| 控制权 | kòng zhì quán | control (as in "to win control") |
| 权势noun | quán shì | power |
| 全权noun | quán quán | full powers |
权 appears in 101 compound words: 26 as the first character, 74 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 权 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
Showing 11 of 12 idioms containing 权.
Example Sentences
每个人都有言论自由的权利，但也要承担相应的责任。
Měi gè rén dōu yǒu yánlùn zìyóu de quánlì, dàn yě yào chéngdān xiāngyìng de zérèn.
Everyone has the right to freedom of speech, but also bears corresponding responsibilities.
...女“晚年命最好” 有人陪、有钱花、有话语权
. . . nǚ wǎn nián mìng zuì hǎo yǒu rén péi , yǒu qián huā , yǒu huà yǔ quán
... Female "best life in old age" has someone to accompany her, money to spend, and the right to speak
花样年境外债重组 终获债权人批准
huā yàng nián jìng wài zhài chóng zǔ zhōng huò zhài quán rén pī zhǔn
Fantasia's overseas debt restructuring was finally approved by creditors
...eedance 2.0爆红 美影视业控侵权
. . . e e d a n c e 2 . 0 bào hóng měi yǐng shì yè kòng qīn quán
... eedance 2.0 became popular, and the US film and television industry accused of infringement
主权卫星商机崛起 华通搭上热潮成大赢家
zhǔ quán wèi xīng shāng jī jué qǐ huá tōng dā shàng rè cháo chéng dà yíng jiā
The rise of sovereign satellite business opportunities Huatong has become a big winner on the boom
2026年世界知识产权报告:创新传播速度达历史新高
nián shì jiè zhī shí chǎn quán bào gào chuàng xīn chuán bō sù dù dá lì shǐ xīn gāo
World Intellectual Property Report 2026: Diffusion of Innovation at Record Pace
他的政权必定会崩溃。
Tā de zhèngquán bìdìng huì bēngkuì.
His regime is bound to collapse.
罗马教皇无权结婚。
Luómǎ Jiàohuáng wúquán jiéhūn.
The Pope has no right to marry.
汤姆一向违反知识产权。
Tāngmǔ yīxiàng wéifǎn zhīshichǎnquán.
Tom always violates copyright laws.
俄罗斯无权决定乌克兰是否加入北约。
éluósī wúquán juédìng Wūkèlán shìfǒu jiārù Běiyuē.
Russia has no right to decide whether Ukraine should join NATO.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 权 (quán) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 权 and 左?
How many strokes does 权 have?
What is the radical of 权?
What are the components of 权?
What are common words containing 权?
What characters sound the same as 权 (quán)?
Is 权 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 权 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.