艺人 (yì rén) — performing artist; actor | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

艺人 is a broad term for performing artists (singers, dancers, entertainers), not just actors. Use 演员 when you specifically mean someone who acts in films or plays.

noun

performing artistactor

Measure word · 位

Examples

艺人。
Zhè wèi yì rén de biǎo yǎn fēi cháng jīng cǎi.
This artist's performance is very wonderful.
艺人。
Hěn duō yì rén dōu cān jiā le zhè cì huó dòng.
Many artists participated in this event.
艺人。
Tā shì yí wèi zhù míng de yì rén.
She is a famous artist.

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.

艺 contributes art or performance skill, and 人 contributes person, giving a performing artist.

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.

艹乙艺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎo

Sound part声符shēngfú

乙

乙yǐ艺yì

Same sound today

In 艺, the top 艹 points to plants, and the lower 乙 gives the sound.

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Film & Theater Professions & Jobs

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.