特权
tèquán · HSK 7
privilege
🎫👑 特权 = 特 special + 权 power/rights = special rights granted to you
特 is the 'special/particular' character (as in 特别 tèbié, special); 权 means power, authority, or rights (as in 权利 quánlì). Stack them: a special right not everyone has — a privilege or charter granted to a chosen few.
特 — cow 牛 + temple 寺 (phonetic)
Originally referred to a male bull or large ox, with 牛 'cow' as the meaning component and 寺 supplying the sound. Over time it shifted from 'bull' to 'special, particular, unique,' the sense used today.
权 — wood 木 + 雚 (heron, phonetic)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 木 (tree/wood) gives the meaning, while 雚 supplies the sound 'quan'. The early sense referred to a specific tree, then shifted to mean a weight used on a steelyard balance. From 'weight' it extended metaphorically to 'authority' and 'power', the dominant modern meaning.