lǐng xiù
leader
习近平主席是中国的最高领袖。
Xí Jìnpíng zhǔxí shì zhōngguó de zuìgāo lǐngxiù.
President Xi Jinping is the supreme leader of China.
毛主席是伟大的领袖。
Máo zhǔxí shì wěidà de lǐngxiù.
Chairman Mao was a great leader.
领袖们带领人民走向胜利。
Lǐngxiùmen dǎolǐng rénmín zǒuxiàng shènglì.
The leaders led the people to victory.
首领 (shǒulǐng)
leader
领袖 (lǐngxiù)
leader
下属 (xià shǔ)
subordinate
追随者 (zhuī suí zhě)
follower
Track your progress, master characters, and achieve your Chinese language goals.
Get Started Free
The Chinese word 领袖 (lǐngxiù) for "leader" is a compound of two characters: 领 (lǐng) and 袖 (xiù). 领 originally meant "collar" or "neckline", and was used metaphorically to refer to a person's position or status. 袖 originally meant "sleeve", and was used metaphorically to refer to a person's ability or talent. Thus, the compound word 领袖 literally means "one who holds the collar and the sleeve", and figuratively refers to a person who is in a position of leadership and has the ability to lead others.
