侠客 (xiá kè) — chivalrous swordsman, knight-errant (in Chinese martial arts tradition)

Definition

A 侠客 is a chivalrous wandering swordsman in the Chinese martial-arts (武侠) tradition — a free-spirited hero who fights injustice with martial skill and a strong moral code. A recurring archetype in wuxia novels like Jin Yong's.

noun
chivalrous swordsmanknight-errant (in Chinese martial arts tradition)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 侠客，。
    Zhè wèi xiá kè lù jiàn bù píng, bá dāo xiāng zhù.
    This chivalrous swordsman saw injustice on the road and drew his sword to help.
  • 侠客。
    Jīn yōng de xiǎo shuō lǐ sù zào le xǔ duō jīng diǎn de xiá kè xíng xiàng.
    Jin Yong's novels created many classic knight-errant characters.
  • 侠客，。
    Zhēn zhèng de xiá kè bù jǐn wǔ gōng gāo qiáng, gèng yào xīn huái dà yì.
    A true knight-errant not only has superb martial arts but must also uphold righteousness in his heart.

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.

侠xiáchivalrous
客kèperson

侠 means chivalrous and 客 means person, so together they denote a chivalrous wanderer.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 侠 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè客kè
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 客, 宀 is a roof and 各 gives the sound; the character meant a guest.

Open 客 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.