The Chinese word 政治家 (zhèngzhìjiā, meaning "statesman" or "political leader") is a compound word formed by combining 政治 (zhèngzhì), meaning "politics" or "political affairs", with the suffix 家 (jiā), which in this context denotes a specialist, expert, or professional in a certain field. Therefore, the term literally and conceptually translates to "a person who is an expert in politics", specifically carrying a connotation of principled, long-term leadership, as opposed to the more transactional term 政客 (zhèngkè, "politician").