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武士 (wǔ shì) — warrior, samurai (especially in Japanese historical context); palace guard, armed retainer (in Chinese historical context)

Definition

武士 most often refers to a Japanese samurai — a warrior bound by loyalty and honor. In Chinese historical context it means an armed palace guard or retainer.

noun
warriorsamurai (especially in Japanese historical context)palace guardarmed retainer (in Chinese historical context)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 武士。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng jiǎng shù le yí wèi wǔ shì de gù shi.
    This movie tells the story of a samurai.
  • 武士。
    Gǔ dài rì běn wǔ shì chóng shàng zhōng chéng yǔ róng yù.
    Ancient Japanese warriors valued loyalty and honor.
  • 武士。
    Huáng gōng lǐ de wǔ shì rì yè shǒu wèi zhe ān quán.
    The palace guards in the imperial palace guarded the safety day and night.

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.

武wǔmartial
士shìperson

武 means martial, 士 means person; together they mean a martial person.

Characters in this word

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

武 puts 戈 (dagger-axe) above 止 (foot/to walk), showing an army going on an expedition.

Open 武 →

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

The shape 士 comes from a simple drawing of a war axe. The character later came to mean a soldier, officer, or intellectual.

Open 士 →
Appears in
Military & Defense5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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