Definition
友人 (yǒurén) is a formal, literary word for 'friend', used in writing or polite speech. It is less common in everyday conversation than 朋友 (péngyou), the standard, neutral word for 'friend'. Unlike 熟人 (shúrén 'acquaintance'), 友人 implies a genuine friend, not just someone you know.
noun
friend (formal, literary)
Easily confused
- 诱人yòu rénsound-alikeattractive, tempting, alluring
- 游人yóu rénsound-aliketourist
Examples
- 友人。Zhè wèi yǒu rén shì wǒ de dàxué tóngxué.This friend is my college classmate.
- 友人。Tā shì yí wèi láizì Fàguó de yǒu rén.He is a friend from France.
- 友人。Gǎnxiè gè wèi yǒu rén de guānglín.Thank you all, friends, for coming.
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