烟民 (yān mín) — smoker | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

smoker

Measure word · 个

烟民。
Hěn duō yān mín dōu yǒu ké sou de wèn tí.
Many smokers have coughing problems.
烟民。
Zhōng guó zhèng fǔ bāng zhù yān mín jiè yān.
The Chinese government helps smokers quit smoking.
烟民。
yān mín De shù liàng zhèng zài jiǎn shǎo.
The number of smokers is decreasing.

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.

烟 refers to tobacco, and 民 refers to people; together they mean people who smoke.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 煙; 烟 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 烟 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (烟) it is 煙; in others it is 菸.

火垔煙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

垔

垔yīn煙yān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

This story is about the traditional form 煙, not the simplified 烟. It pairs 火, fire, with 垔, which gives the sound.

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

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.