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后生 (hòu shēng) — younger generation; youth (colloquial)

Definition

A colloquial noun for a young person or the younger generation, often used in informal or regional speech rather than in writing. In context, 现在的后生 means 'young people today' (as a collective).

noun
younger generationyouth (colloquial)

Examples

  • 后生。
    Zhè ge hòu shēng hěn yǒu chū xi.
    This young person has a bright future.
  • 后生。
    Xiàn zài de hòu shēng bǐ wǒ men nà shí hou cōng ming duō le.
    The younger generation nowadays is much smarter than we were back then.
  • 后生。
    Cūn lǐ de hòu shēng dōu chū qù dǎ gōng le.
    The young people in the village have all gone out to work.

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.

后hòulater
生shēngborn

后 (later) and 生 (born) combine to mean those born later.

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 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →
Appears in
Life Stages & Age

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