男士 (nán shì) — man (polite term), gentleman

Definition

A polite term for 'man,' used especially in formal contexts like signs and titles — more respectful than 男人. Pairs with 女士 as 'ladies and gentlemen.'

noun

man (polite term)gentleman

Measure word · 位

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.

士shìgentleman

男 contributes male and 士 contributes gentleman, giving a polite term for a man.

Characters in this word

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

田力男

男 is made from 田, a field, and 力, strength. It shows a man working with strength in a field.

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.

Appears in