内阁

• Pinyin: nèi gé
• Hanzi breakdown: 内 = 冂(enclosure) + 人(person) — inner; 阁 = 门(gate) + 各(each/various) — a pavilion with many compartments

Meaning

Cabinet; the council of senior ministers forming the executive branch of a parliamentary or constitutional government.

Refers to the collective body of senior government ministers. In Chinese historical usage, 内阁 was the Grand Secretariat of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In modern usage, it typically refers to foreign governments' cabinets rather than China's own governmental structure.

Examples

1. 首相宣布对内阁进行重大改组，多名表现不佳的部长被替换。 The prime minister announced a major cabinet reshuffle, replacing several ministers who had performed poorly.
2. 这场政治危机导致内阁集体辞职，国家陷入了一段时期的权力真空。 The political crisis forced the entire cabinet to resign, leaving the country in a period of power vacuum.
3. 新组建的内阁成员平均年龄不到五十岁，外界普遍认为这是一届较为年轻的执政团队。 The newly formed cabinet has an average age of under 50, and it is widely seen as a relatively young governing team.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, government, news, international affairs, history

Tone: neutral/formal

Do Say

• 在议会制国家，内阁通常由议会多数党组建，其施政方向直接对议会负责，需要保持多数议员的支持。(In parliamentary systems, the cabinet is typically formed by the majority party; its policy direction is directly accountable to parliament and must maintain the support of a majority of members.)
• 新任总理上任后立即着手组建新内阁，任命了多位具有技术背景的专家担任关键职位。(After the new prime minister took office, he immediately set about forming a new cabinet, appointing several experts with technical backgrounds to key positions.)

Don't Say

• 将'内阁'用于描述中国大陆的政府结构 — 内阁 is used for parliamentary-style cabinets abroad or historical Chinese contexts; China's equivalent is 国务院 (State Council)

Origin & History

内(inner/inside) + 阁(pavilion/tower). In the Ming dynasty, the Grand Secretariat operated from an inner pavilion of the Forbidden City, hence 内阁.

Cultural Context

Era: Historical and Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal