农场主 (nóng chǎng zhǔ) — farmer (owner or operator of a farm)

Definition

农场主 specifically means the owner/operator of a farm, not a farmhand or hired worker — the 主 ('master, owner') marks them as the proprietor, while a generic 农民 is someone who works the land.

noun
farmer (owner or operator of a farm)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 农场主。
    Zhè wèi nóng chǎng zhǔ jīng yíng zhe yí piàn hěn dà de guǒ yuán.
    This farmer runs a very large orchard.
  • 农场主。
    Dāng dì de nóng chǎng zhǔ men shòu dào le zhèng fǔ de bǔ tiē.
    The local farmers received government subsidies.
  • 农场主。
    nóng chǎng zhǔ De shōu cheng jīn nián bǐ qù nián hǎo duō le.
    The farmer's harvest is much better this year than last year.

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.

农场farm
农nóngfarming场chǎngfield
偏正Modifier + head
主zhǔowner

农场 'farm' with 主 'owner' names the person who runs a farm.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 農; 农 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 農 comes from 林 (vegetation) and 辰 (a hoe), showing a hoe among vegetation to remove weeds; the simplified 农 is a later abbreviation.

Open 农 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

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

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →
Appears in
Agriculture & FarmingProfessions & Jobs

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