万民 (wàn mín) — all the people, the populace

Definition

Literary term for 'all the people / the populace,' almost always found in formal or historical writing. Everyday equivalents are 人民 or 老百姓.

noun
all the peoplethe populace

Examples

  • 万民。
    wàn mín Huān qìng xīn nián de dào lái.
    All the people celebrate the arrival of the new year.
  • 万民。
    Zhè wèi huáng dì shēn shòu wàn mín ài dài.
    This emperor was deeply loved by all the people.
  • ，万民。
    Guó jiā fán róng, wàn mín cái néng xìng fú.
    Only when the nation prospers can all the people be happy.

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.

万wànten thousand
民mínpeople

万 suggests ten thousand, and 民 names the people.

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 萬; 万 is its simplified writing.

For 万, the form 萬 was originally a picture of a scorpion, later borrowed for its sound to write 'ten thousand'; the scorpion picture is unrelated to that number.

Open 万 →

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

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.

Open 民 →

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