TongTong
Sign in

佣人 (yōng rén) — (domestic) servant

Definition

A domestic servant — someone hired to do household work. Slightly old-fashioned; 保姆 now usually means a live-in nanny/housekeeper hired by a family.

noun
(domestic) servant
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 佣人。
    Tā men jiā yǐ qián yǒu yí gè yōng rén.
    Their family used to have a servant.
  • 佣人。
    Tā zài fù rén jiā lǐ zuò yōng rén.
    She works as a servant in a wealthy household.
  • 佣人。
    Zhè ge yōng rén zuò shì hěn qín kuai.
    This servant is very diligent in his work.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

佣yōnghired
人rénperson

佣 means hired and 人 means person, together referring to a domestic worker.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 佣 →

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
Professions & Jobs

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.