TongTong
Sign in

友人 (yǒu rén) — friend (formal, literary)

Definition

A formal, written term for 'friend' — use it in speeches, essays, or polite addresses, while 朋友 covers everyday speech. Often refers to a long-standing or respected friend.

noun
friend (formal, literary)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 友人。
    Zhè wèi yǒu rén shì wǒ de dà xué tóng xué.
    This friend is my college classmate.
  • 友人。
    Tā shì yí wèi lái zì fǎ guó de yǒu rén.
    He is a friend from France.
  • 友人。
    Gǎn xiè gè wèi yǒu rén de guāng lín.
    Thank you all, friends, for coming.

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.

友yǒufriend
人rénperson

友 means friend, and 人 means person; together they denote a friendly person.

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.

友 is drawn as two 又, the hand form, side by side. The old explanation says two hands together mean friendship.

Open 友 →

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 7-9Friends & Social

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