Definition
制衡 is a political and legal term meaning 'to check and balance' — it describes the mechanism where different powers or forces constrain each other to prevent any one from becoming too dominant. It's most commonly used in discussions of government structure (权力制衡 'separation of powers with checks and balances'), but can also apply to corporate governance or any system where mutual restraint is designed. As a verb, it takes an object: A 制衡 B.
v.
to check and balanceto counterbalance (powers, forces, or interests)
Examples
- 制衡。Sān quán fēn lì de héxīn shì quánlì zhī jiān xiānghù zhì héng.The core of separation of powers is mutual checks and balances among branches.
- 制衡。Zhège zhìdù shèjì yònglái zhì héng xíngzhèng bùmén de quánlì.This system is designed to check the power of the executive branch.
- 制衡。Gōngsī nèibù xūyào jiànlì yǒuxiào de zhì héng jīzhì.Companies need to establish effective check-and-balance mechanisms internally.
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