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要人 (yào rén) — VIP, important personage

Definition

A formal, written-style term for a VIP or very important person — a person of high status whose safety or attendance is treated specially. Far more formal than everyday words like 重要的人.

noun
VIPimportant personage
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 要人。
    Nà wèi yào rén yǐ jīng dǐ dá huì chǎng.
    That VIP has already arrived at the venue.
  • 要人。
    Zhè cì huì yì yāo qǐng le duō wèi guó jì yào rén.
    This meeting has invited many international VIPs.
  • 要人。
    yào rén De ān quán shì zǔ zhī de shǒu yào rèn wu.
    The safety of VIPs is the organization's top priority.

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.

要yàoimportant
人rénperson

要 means important and 人 means person, so 要人 is an important person.

Characters in this word

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

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Open 要 →

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 →
Appears in
Social Roles & Status

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