ON THE CHARACTER

ON THE CHARACTER

Right to Rule

權力是一種游戲

The character 權 (quán) is the ultimate symbol for power and authority in Chinese. Such power, or 權力 (quá nlì), may stem from an incredible amount of wealth or prestige and reputation. But 權 is not just reserved for the rich and famous. 權利 (quá nlì), though pronounced the same, means “rights”—something everyone can understand.

As to the origin of 權, some say its earliest form referred to a particular kind of plant, which was exempli fi ed by the 木 (mù, wood, plant) radical on the left. The right radical used to beinstead of 又, which was simpli fi ed in modern times, cutting all 17 strokes to merely two for easier usage.

For a more plausible explanation for the evolution of the character, we need to look at its other early meaning, which is as an instrument for measuring weight, or what would have been the sliding scale of a steelyard. It was also used as a verb, meaning“to weigh”. For instance, when philosopherMencius was warning King Xuan of Qi in the Warring States Period (475 B.C.E.-221 B.C.E.) to be cautious of his decisions and rule with benevolence, he said: “By weighing, we know the weight; by measuring, we know the size. All things require study and ref l ection to learn, and motions of the mind are especially so.”(權，然后知輕重；度，然后知長短。物皆然，心為甚。Quán, ránhòu zhī qīngzhòng; duó, ránhòu zhī chángduǎn. Wù jiē rán, xīn wéi shèn.) He went on to beg the king to reconsider his decision of war and instead implement a benevolent policy to better his rule.

With the same root, the word 權衡(quánhéng) originally referred to the sliding weight of the steelyard and its arm and now means “to weigh and assess”. 權衡利弊 (quánhéng lìbì) means “to weigh the pros and cons”.

Because the scale, as an instrument that can measure def i nite weight, was considered authoritative, ancient Chinese began to use the steelyard as a metaphor for 權力. Off i cials with inf l uence became known as 權臣 (quánchén), literally,“powerful off i cials”. Those in positions of great authority were given the name 權貴 (quánguì), or “bigwigs”.

The concept of authority and inf l uence in power have continued into today. For example, 大權在握 (dà quán zài wò), literally, “to have great power in one's palm”, which means to have total control over something, is a fi tting word to describe dictators. Where there's power, there's struggle, hence 權力斗爭(quánlì dò uzhēng, power struggle). HBO's sensational TV dramaGame of Thronesis translated to “Game of Power” (《權力的游戲》 Quánlì de Yóuxì) in Chinese.

In reality, there's no lack of such games.“To usurp the position and seize power”, or 篡位奪權 (cuàn wèi duó quán), originally meant to wrest power and status from a monarch, now adapted to 篡黨奪權 (cuàn dǎng duó quán), literally meaning “to usurp the Party and seize power”, a phrase used to condemn the notorious “Gang of Four” for their actions during the Cultural Revolution.

People with inf l uence naturally dominate and have superiority over others, producing military terms like 制空權 (zhìkōngquán, air supremacy), 制海權(zhìhǎiquán, naval supremacy), and 主動權(zhǔdòngquán, initiative).

The word 權利 is pronounced just like權力, but has a different meaning. It is a combination of 權, “power” and 利,“benef i ts” and traditionally represents inf l uence and wealth. However, in modern usage, 權利 indicates citizens' rights, privileges and authority under the law, such as 生存權 (shēngcún quán, right to live), 生育權 (shēngyù quán, right to bear children), 宗 教 信 仰 自由權 (zōngjiào xìnyǎ ng zìyóuquán, right to hold religious beliefs freely), 隱私權 (yǐnsīquán, right to privacy), and ultimately, 人權 (rénquán, human rights). - BY HUANG WEIJIA (黃偉嘉), TRANSLATED BY NICOLAS RICHARDS (芮尼克) AND LIU JUE (劉玨)