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门徒 (mén tú) — disciple; follower; adherent

Definition

A formal word for a 'disciple' — someone who studies under a master (often in religion, martial arts, or philosophy). It implies a teacher–student bond of loyalty and apprenticeship.

noun
disciplefolloweradherent
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 门徒。
    Tā shì zhè wèi dà shī de mén tú.
    He is a disciple of this master.
  • 门徒。
    Zhè xiē mén tú dōu gēn zhe lǎo shī xué xí.
    These disciples all study with the teacher.
  • 门徒，。
    Tā shōu le hěn duō mén tú, jiào tā men gōng fu.
    He accepted many disciples and taught them kung fu.

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.

门ménsect
徒túfollower

门 points to a school or sect and 徒 to a follower, giving the idea of a disciple.

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 →

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
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
土
土tǔ徒tú
Same sound today

徒 originally paired 辵, a walking sign, with 土 to show its sound. The shape later changed into 彳 and 走.

Open 徒 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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