人世间 (rén shì jiān) — the human world, the mortal world

Definition

Literary/poetic term for 'the human world, the mortal world' — the world of the living, often contrasted with the afterlife or with Buddhist/heavenly realms. Far more formal and literary than everyday 世界.

noun
the human worldthe mortal world

Examples

  • 人世间。
    Tā kàn tòu le rén shì jiān de lěng nuǎn.
    He saw through the warmth and coldness of the human world.
  • 人世间。
    rén shì jiān Chōng mǎn le huān xiào hé lèi shuǐ.
    The human world is full of laughter and tears.
  • 。
    Tā xī wàng xià bèi zi bú zài lái rén shì jiān.
    She hopes in the next life she won't come to the human world again.

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.

人rénhuman
世间world
世shìworld间jiānspace
偏正Modifier + head

人 gives the human, 世 the world, and 间 the space, together the mortal world.

Characters in this word

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 世 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 间 →

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