侍应 (shì yīng) — waiter; waitress | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal/literary term for a restaurant or hotel server, short for 侍应生. More written and elevated than everyday 服务员, and not used in casual speech.

noun

waiterwaitress

Measure word · 位

侍应。
Zhè wèi shì yīng de fú wù fēi cháng zhōu dào.
This waiter's service is very attentive.
侍应。
Tā zài zhè jiā jiǔ diàn dāng shì yīng yǐ jīng sān nián le.
He has been working as a waiter at this hotel for three years.
侍应。
Nà jiā cān tīng de shì yīng dōu shòu guò zhuān yè péi xùn.
The waitstaff at that restaurant have all received professional training.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

侍 means attend and 应 means respond, together describing waiting on customers.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

⺅Written in full as人rénperson

Sound part声符shēngfú

寺

寺sì侍shì

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

侍 has 人 (person) paired with 寺, which gives the sound.

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 應; 应 is its simplified writing.

䧹心應

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

䧹

䧹䧹應yìng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 應 pairs 心 (heart) with 䧹 as a sound part; the simplified 应 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the original components.

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