单身汉 (dān shēn hàn) — bachelor (unmarried man) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A dated or literary word for an unmarried man. Carries a slightly old-fashioned, often self-deprecating tone compared to plain 单身.

noun

bachelor (unmarried man)

Measure word · 个

Examples

单身汉。
Tā sān shí suì le hái shì gè dān shēn hàn.
He's thirty years old and still a bachelor.
单身汉。
Hěn duō dān shēn hàn xǐ huan zì yóu de shēng huó.
Many bachelors enjoy a free lifestyle.
单身汉，。
Tā jué dìng jié shù dān shēn hàn de shēng huó, zhǔn bèi jié hūn.
He decided to end his bachelor life and prepare for marriage.

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.

单身single

单dānalone身shēnbody

偏正Modifier + head

单 and 身 describe being alone, and 汉 is a man, so bachelor.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 單; 单 is its simplified writing.

The form 單 originally pictured a Y-shaped wooden stick with two stones on top.

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

The shape of 身 comes from a drawing of a pregnant woman.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

People (General)Romance & Marriage

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