Meaning of 支配
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to control
- to dominate
- to allocate
How to use 支配
支配 means to control or dominate something, or to allocate resources such as time or money. It often appears with abstract objects like 时间, 金钱, or 命运, and in phrases like 受……支配 (to be controlled by). Example: 我想自己支配我的时间。 (Wǒ xiǎng zìjǐ zhīpèi wǒ de shíjiān.) I want to manage my own time.
支 (zhī) appears in 支付 (zhīfù, to pay) and 支出 (zhīchū, to pay out), and 配 (pèi) appears in 分配 (fēnpèi, to distribute). Picture someone paying out and handing around resources, deciding where everything goes. That person is in control.
Common mistake: Learners often use 支配 where 控制 (kòngzhì) or 分配 (fēnpèi) fits better. 支配 carries a sense of deciding how something is used or ruling over it, while 分配 focuses on dividing and handing things out to different people.
支配 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
支 zhī · to support · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
配 pèi · to join · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 支配.
| 支持 | zhīchí | to be in favor of; to support |
| 支付 | zhīfù | to pay (money) |
| 配合 | pèihé | matching; fitting in with |
| 分配 | fēnpèi | to distribute; to assign |
| 配备 | pèibèi | to allocate; to provide |
| 支出 | zhīchū | to spend; to pay out; expenses; expenditure |
| 配套 | pèitào | to form a complete set; compatible |
| 支援 | zhīyuán | to provide assistance; to support |
| 支撑 | zhīchēng | to prop up; to support |
| 搭配 | dāpèi | to pair up; to match |
| 配置 | pèizhì | to deploy; to allocate |
| 支票 | zhīpiào | check (bank); cheque |
Questions about 支配
What does 支配 mean?
支配 (zhīpèi) means "to control; to dominate" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 支配?
支配 is made of 2 characters: 支 (4 strokes), 配 (10 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 支配 an HSK word?
Yes. 支配 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 支配 sound negative?
It depends on context. 支配自己的时间 (managing your own time) is neutral or positive, but 被别人支配 (being controlled by others) suggests a loss of freedom.
How do I say "to be controlled by" with 支配?
Use 受……支配 or 被……支配. For example, 他受情绪支配 (tā shòu qíngxù zhīpèi) means he is ruled by his emotions.