TongTong
Sign in

闲人 (xián rén) — idler; person with nothing to do; unconcerned person; person not involved

Definition

闲人 literally means 'idle person,' but in modern usage it more often means 'outsider' or 'unauthorized person' — as in the set phrase 闲人免进 ('no entry for non-staff'). Often a slightly dismissive label.

noun
idlerperson with nothing to dounconcerned personperson not involved
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，闲人。
    Tā zhěng tiān yóu shǒu hào xián, shì gè diǎn xíng de xián rén.
    He loafs around all day — a typical idler.
  • “闲人”，。
    Mén kǒu xiě zhe "xián rén miǎn jìn", wǒ men bié jìn qù le.
    The door says 'No admittance for unauthorized persons,' so let's not go in.
  • 闲人，。
    Gōng sī lǐ méi yǒu xián rén, měi gè rén dōu hěn máng.
    There are no idle people in the company; everyone is very busy.

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.

闲xiánidle
人rénperson

An 人, person, who is 闲, idle or unoccupied, gives the sense of an idler.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閒; 闲 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 閒 puts 月 (moon) inside 門 (door), as if moonlight peeks through a door; this picture gives the idea of a gap or space. The simplified 闲 is a later abbreviation.

Open 闲 →

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
People (General)Social Roles & Status

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.