船民 (chuán mín) — people who live on or off boats; boat-dwelling…

Definition

noun

people who live on or off boatsboat-dwelling community

Measure word · 个

船民。
Xǔ duō chuán mín shì dài yǐ bǔ yú wéi shēng.
Many boat people have made a living by fishing for generations.
船民。
Zhè ge shuǐ shàng cūn zhuāng zhù le dà yuē wǔ bǎi míng chuán mín.
This floating village is home to about five hundred boat dwellers.
船民。
Zhèng fǔ wèi dāng dì chuán mín tí gōng le àn shàng zhù fáng bǔ tiē.
The government provided onshore housing subsidies for the local boat community.

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.

The 船 boat and 民 people give boat people.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

㕣

㕣㕣船

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

船 pairs 舟 (boat) with 㕣 for its 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.