青年人 (qīng nián rén) — young people | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal written term for 'young people' (roughly 15–40). 比年轻人 more formal and literary, often used in official or published contexts.

noun

young people

Examples

青年人。
Shè huì shàng hěn duō qīng nián rén dōu xuǎn zé qù dà chéng shì fā zhǎn.
Many young people in society choose to go to big cities to develop.
青年人。
Zhèng fǔ chū tái le yí xì liè zhèng cè zhī chí qīng nián rén chuàng yè.
The government has introduced a series of policies to support young people starting businesses.
青年人，。
qīng nián rén Yīng gāi duō dú shū, duō sī kǎo.
Young people should read more and think more.

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.

青年youth

青qīngyoung年niányears

偏正Modifier + head

青 young and 年 years make 青年, and 人 person gives a person in those young years.

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.

生生shēng
井井jǐng

An early form of 青 combined 生 and 井, both used for sound; the modern form has changed.

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

禾禾héwheat; grain

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén年nián

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

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

Life Stages & Age

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