高人 (gāo rén) — a person of exceptional ability or knowledge; a master or expert

Definition

Literally 'tall person,' 高人 is a respectful colloquial term for a hidden expert — someone with extraordinary skill or insight, often someone the speaker turns to for guidance.

noun
a person of exceptional ability or knowledgea master or expert
Measure word · 个
Easily confused

Examples

  • 高人。
    Zhè wèi gāo rén zài wǔ shù jiè hěn yǒu míng.
    This master is very famous in the martial arts world.
  • ，高人。
    Yù dào kùn nan shí, tā zǒng néng zhǎo dào gāo rén zhǐ diǎn.
    When encountering difficulties, he can always find an expert to guide him.
  • ，高人。
    Bié kàn tā píng shí bù shuō huà, qí shí shì gè gāo rén.
    Don't judge by his usual quietness — he's actually a highly capable person.

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.

高gāohigh
人rénperson

高 means high and 人 means person, together a person of high ability.

Characters in this word

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

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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 →

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