机关 jīguān mechanism
mechanism; gear; machine-operated; office; agency; organ; organization; establishment; institution; body; stratagem; scheme; intrigue; plot; trick
How to remember 机关: 机 machine + 关 to close = mechanism.
Characters
How it is used
- 'Government office/agency' - 政府机关 (zhèngfǔ jīguān) government body - is the most common sense.
- Also 'mechanism/trick': 机关重重 (jīguān chóngchóng) full of hidden traps; 识破机关 to see through a scheme.
- One word, two worlds: institutional 'organ' and mechanical/clever 'device, gimmick'.
Example sentences
- 请把电视机关掉好吗？ Qǐng bǎ diànshìjī guāndiào hǎo ma?Would you please turn off the TV?