兵 (bīng) — soldier; military personnel; troops; army (as a collective force)
Definition
兵 emphasizes individual soldiers or soldiers-as-a-collective; 军队 and 部队 refer to organized armed forces, while 士兵 and 军人 are formal words for 'soldier/military personnel.' Often appears in compounds like 兵力 (troops) and 当兵 (to serve as a soldier).
noun
soldiermilitary personneltroopsarmy (as a collective force)
Measure word · 个
Easily confused
Examples
- 兵。Tā shì yí gè yōu xiù de shì bīng.He is an excellent soldier.
- 。Dí rén chū dòng le sān wàn bīng lì.The enemy deployed thirty thousand troops.
- 。Wǒ gē ge qù dāng bīng le.My older brother went to become a soldier.
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.
- 斤斤jīna short axe
- 廾廾gǒng2 hands
兵 combines 斤, a short axe, with 廾, two hands, showing a pair of hands holding a weapon.
Appears in
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