Definition
员 (yuán) is a suffix, not a standalone noun. It attaches to a word to mean 'person with a role' — e.g., 员工 (employee), 会员 (member). Unlike the full nouns 会员, 成员, or 员工, 员 itself cannot be used alone; it must combine with another character to form a complete word.
suffix
(suffix) personemployeemember
Easily confused
- 贵guìlook-alikeexpensive
- 远yuǎnsound-alikefar, distant (in space or time)
- 赛sàilook-aliketo compete
- 愿yuànsound-aliketo wish, to hope (often used in blessings and formal expressions)
- 赏shǎnglook-aliketo reward, to bestow (a gift or money from a superior to an inferior)
- 元yuánsound-alike(classifier) yuan, the basic unit of Chinese currency
- 负fùlook-alike(verb) to bear, to carry (a burden, responsibility, debt)
- 原yuánsound-alikeoriginal, former
- 贴tiēlook-aliketo stick, to paste, to post (e.g. online)
- 圆yuánsound-alike(noun) circle
Examples
- 。Tā shì zhè jiā gōngsī de yuán gōng.He is an employee of this company.
- 。Wǒmen bùmén yǒu wǔ míng yuán gōng.Our department has five employees.
- 。Gōngsī de xīn yuán gōng dōu hěn nǔlì.The new employees at the company are all hardworking.
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