专利

• Pinyin: zhuān lì
• Hanzi breakdown: 专 = simplified from 專 (spindle, specialized); 利 = 禾 (grain) + 刂 (knife) — to harvest, benefit

Meaning

Patent. An official right granted to an inventor that prevents others from making, using, or selling an invention without permission.

Used in business, legal, and technology contexts. Common collocations include 申请专利 (apply for a patent), 专利权 (patent rights), and 专利侵权 (patent infringement). China has become one of the world's largest patent filers.

Examples

1. 这家公司拥有上百项技术专利。 This company owns over a hundred technology patents.
2. 他花了三年时间才成功申请到这项专利。 It took him three years to successfully obtain this patent.
3. 专利保护期一般是二十年。 Patent protection generally lasts for twenty years.

Usage Guide

Context: business, legal, technology

Tone: professional

Do Say

• 我们需要为这项发明申请专利。(We need to apply for a patent for this invention.)
• 这项技术已经获得了国际专利。(This technology has already received an international patent.)

Don't Say

• 说'这是我的专利菜'表示拿手菜 (While 专利 can colloquially mean 'specialty,' in formal contexts it specifically means legal patents — use 拿手菜 for signature dishes)

Origin & History

专 (exclusive, specialized) + 利 (benefit, profit). Together they mean an exclusive right to profit from something.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal