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可人 (kě rén) — (noun) a person who is commendable or pleasant

Definition

可人 (kěrén) is a literary, written-style noun for a person who is pleasant or admirable in character — used in formal writing and old-fashioned prose, not everyday speech.

noun
a person who is commendable or pleasant
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 可人，。
    Zhè wèi xiān sheng zhēn shì kě rén, zhí dé tuī jiàn.
    This gentleman is truly a commendable person, worth recommending.
  • ，可人。
    Tā wèi rén wēn hé, kān chēng kě rén.
    She is gentle in character and can be called a pleasing person.
  • ，可人。
    Zài gǔ dài, kě rén cháng zhǐ cái dé jiān bèi zhī shì.
    In ancient times, 'kě rén' often referred to a person of both talent and virtue.

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.

可kěcommendable
人rénperson

可" (commendable) + "人" (person) names someone pleasing or worth praising.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

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
Personality & Traits

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