个体户 (gè tǐ hù) — self-employed business owner; individual entrepreneur; small private enterprise

Definition

A privately-run one-person business (typically a tiny shop or stall) registered in the owner's own name — a legally recognized category of micro-enterprise in China, not a company.

noun
self-employed business ownerindividual entrepreneursmall private enterprise

Examples

  • 个体户。
    Hěn duō gè tǐ hù zài xiǎo chéng shì lǐ kāi cān guǎn.
    Many self-employed entrepreneurs run restaurants in small cities.
  • ，。
    Tā zhù cè le yí gè gè tǐ hù, zuò fú zhuāng shēng yì.
    He registered a private business and does clothing trade.
  • 个体户，。
    gè tǐ hù De jīng yíng fāng shì bǐ jiào líng huó, dàn fēng xiǎn yě dà.
    The management style of small private businesses is quite flexible, but the risks are also high.

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.

个体individual
个gèindividual体tǐbody
偏正Modifier + head
户hùhousehold

个 and 体 give the idea of a single person or unit, and 户 names a household, so the name points to a self-employed household.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 個; 个 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
固
固gù個ge
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 个, the form 個 pairs 亻 (person) with 固 as a sound part.

Open 个 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 戶; 户 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 戶 is a picture of half of a gate. The simplified 户 is a later shorthand, so its shape should not be read as the original parts.

Open 户 →

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