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传人 (chuán rén) — (verb) to pass on (a skill, art, or tradition) to someone; to impart; (noun) a person who inherits and continues a skill, art, or tradition; successor; disciple

Definition

传人 works as both a verb 'to pass on a skill/tradition' and a noun 'successor/disciple.' As a noun it is broader than 徒弟/弟子 (a specific apprentice) and closer to 接班人 (successor in a role or lineage).

verb
to pass on (a skill, art, or tradition) to someoneto impart
noun
a person who inherits and continues a skill, art, or traditionsuccessordisciple
Measure word · 个
Easily confused

Examples

  • 传人。
    Tā jiāng yì shēng suǒ xué chuán rén yú dì zǐ.
    He imparted everything he had learned in life to his disciples.
  • 传人。
    Tā shì zhè ge liú pài de wéi yī chuán rén.
    He is the sole inheritor of this school.
  • 传人。
    Zhè wèi yì shù jiā de chuán rén men biàn bù quán guó.
    This artist's successors are spread all over the country.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

传chuánpass on
人rénperson

传 (pass on) + 人 (person): to pass something on to a person; hence a person who carries on the teaching.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 傳; 传 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
專
專zhuān傳chuán
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 傳 puts 人 (man) beside 專, which gives the sound; the simplified 传 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the historical ones.

Open 传 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Chinese Culture & CustomsPeople (General)

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