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先驱者 (xiān qū zhě) — pioneer, forerunner

Definition

A formal, written-style word for 'pioneer' — a person who opens up a new field. The suffix 者 marks a doer/person, so it pairs naturally with fields or causes (e.g. ...的先驱者).

noun
pioneerforerunner
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 先驱者。
    Zhè wèi kē xué jiā shì rén gōng zhì néng lǐng yù de xiān qū zhě.
    This scientist is a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence.
  • 先驱者。
    Xǔ duō xiān qū zhě wèi hòu lái de shè huì fā zhǎn diàn dìng le jī chǔ.
    Many pioneers laid the foundation for later social development.
  • 先驱者。
    Tā men bèi chēng wéi háng tiān shì yè de xiān qū zhě.
    They are called pioneers in the space industry.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

先驱
先xiānahead驱qūdrive
偏正Modifier + head
者zhěperson

先驱 means go ahead, and 者 points to a person.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

先 combines 止 (foot) and 儿 (person) to show someone moving forward.

Open 先 →

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 驅; 驱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
區
區qū驅qū
Same sound today

The traditional form 驅 pairs 馬 (horse) with 區 as a sound part; simplified 驱 is a later shorthand.

Open 驱 →

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

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Open 者 →
Appears in
People (General)

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