使者 (shǐ zhě) — emissary; envoy | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A general term for a person sent on a mission — more formal and literary than 大使, which is reserved for an ambassador to a foreign country.

noun

emissaryenvoy

Measure word · 位

使者。
Zhè wèi shǐ zhě dài biǎo zǒng tǒng chū fǎng lín guó.
This envoy visited a neighboring country on behalf of the president.
使者。
Tā men pài chū yì míng shǐ zhě chuán dì tíng huǒ xié yì.
They sent an emissary to deliver the ceasefire agreement.
使者。
Wén huà shǐ zhě cù jìn le liǎng gè chéng shì zhī jiān de jiāo liú.
The cultural envoy promoted exchanges between the two cities.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

使shǐsend/envoy

使者 pairs 使 (to send or an envoy) with 者 (one who does something) to mean a person sent on a task.

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.

亻吏使

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

吏

吏lì使shǐ

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

使 pairs 亻 (person) with 吏, which pictures a hand holding something like a flag, giving the sense of a representative or ambassador.

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

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Appears in