知名人士 (zhī míng rén shì) — celebrity; well-known public figure

Definition

noun
celebritywell-known public figure
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 知名人士。
    Zhè wèi zhī míng rén shì jīng cháng cān jiā cí shàn huó dòng.
    This celebrity often participates in charity events.
  • 知名人士。
    Hěn duō zhī míng rén shì dōu zhī chí zhè ge huán bǎo xiàng mù.
    Many well-known public figures support this environmental project.
  • 知名人士，。
    Tā shì yí wèi shè huì zhī míng rén shì, zài xué shù jiè hěn yǒu yǐng xiǎng lì.
    He is a well-known public figure with great influence in academia.

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.

知名well-known
知zhīknow名míngname
动宾Verb + object
人士people
人rénperson士shìperson
联合Side by side

知名 (known by name) + 人士 (people): a person whose name is widely known.

Characters in this word

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

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 →

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 →

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