门子 (mén zǐ) — knack; trick; special method (often in 找门子); doorman; gatekeeper (esp. in a traditional yamen); hanger-on of an aristocrat; sycophant

Definition

门子 is a literary/classical noun with three distinct senses: 'knack/trick' (often in 找门子, 'to find the right connection'), 'doorman/gatekeeper' at a yamen, and 'hanger-on of a powerful person'. It is rare in modern spoken Chinese.

noun
knacktrickspecial method (often in 找门子)doormangatekeeper (esp. in a traditional yamen)hanger-on of an aristocratsycophant

Examples

  • ，。
    Zuò zhè jiàn shì nǐ dé zhǎo duì mén zǐ, bù rán hěn nán chéng gōng.
    To do this, you need to find the right trick, otherwise it's hard to succeed.
  • 门子，。
    Tā zài yá men lǐ dāng guò jǐ nián mén zǐ, hòu lái cái shēng le guān.
    He worked as a doorman in the yamen for a few years, and only later got promoted.
  • 门子，。
    Nà xiē mén zǐ zhěng tiān tǎo hǎo bā jie guì zú, méi shén me zhēn běn shì.
    Those hangers-on spend all their time flattering aristocrats; they have no real ability.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

门méndoor
子zǐsuffix

门子 centers on 门, a door or gatekeeper, and 子 rounds out the word.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Open 门 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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