fat6閥阀
Jyutpingfat6
Yalefaht
Definition
A powerful individual, family, or group; or a valve.
- a powerful or influential individual, family, or group
- technicalvalve
neutralpeopleother
How it's used
This character functions in two distinct ways: as a suffix for powerful groups or cliques, and as a technical term for mechanical valves. When used to describe people, it often carries a slightly negative connotation of nepotism or exclusionary power. In technical contexts, it is almost exclusively used in compound words like 水閥 or 氣閥.
Examples
Their family is a powerful force in this industry.
The water valve is broken, causing water to go everywhere.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 伐, which appears in words like 討伐. Remember that 閥 includes the 門 radical, reflecting its historical sense of a family's status or gate, whereas 伐 relates to cutting or attacking.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
