埃塞俄比亚人 (āi sài é bǐ yà rén) — Ethiopian (person); Ethiopian people

Definition

A demonym for a person from Ethiopia (埃塞俄比亚, āisài'ébǐyà), used as both singular ('an Ethiopian') and plural ('Ethiopians'). Like other 国/人 nationality nouns, it can take a modifier before 人 (e.g. 埃塞俄比亚人朋友 = an Ethiopian friend).

noun
Ethiopian (person)Ethiopian people
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 埃塞俄比亚人。
    Tā shì yí wèi āi sài é bǐ yà rén.
    He is an Ethiopian.
  • 埃塞俄比亚人。
    Zhè xiē āi sài é bǐ yà rén dōu hěn rè qíng.
    These Ethiopians are all very warm.
  • 埃塞俄比亚人。
    Wǒ rèn shi le yí gè āi sài é bǐ yà rén péng you.
    I made an Ethiopian friend.

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.

埃塞俄比亚Ethiopia
埃āi塞sāi俄é比bǐ亚yà
人rénperson

埃塞俄比亚 spells Ethiopia, and 人 denotes a person from there.

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
土土tǔearth; soil
Sound part声符shēngfú
矣
矣yǐ埃āi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 土 side of 埃 relates to earth or soil, while 矣 gives the sound.

Open 埃 →

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

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 工工gōngtwo items
  • 廾廾gǒngtwo hands

塞 combines 宀 (house), 工 (two items), and 廾 (two hands), showing hands stuffing items into a house.

Open 塞 →

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
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
我
我wǒ俄é
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

俄 pairs 亻 (person) with 我, which gives the sound.

Open 俄 →

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

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 匕匕bǐ

比 is two 匕 placed side by side. Chu Wan-li treats both as sound parts, while an old reading takes the side-by-side arrangement as putting things next to each other.

Open 比 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亞; 亚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 亞 likely shows an overhead view of a construction, perhaps a 亞-shaped tomb. Its later simplified form 亚 is just a shorthand.

Open 亚 →

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 →

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