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嘉宾 (jiā bīn) — guest of honor; honored guest (especially on a show or formal occasion)

Definition

嘉宾 is a 'distinguished guest' invited to a show, ceremony, or formal event — more honored than 客人 (a regular visitor/customer). For the most prestigious VIP guest, use 贵宾.

noun
guest of honorhonored guest (especially on a show or formal occasion)
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 嘉宾。
    Tā shì yí wèi fēi cháng yǒu míng de jiā bīn.
    He is a very famous honored guest.
  • 嘉宾。
    Jié mù zǔ qǐng lái le sān wèi jiā bīn.
    The production team invited three honored guests.
  • 嘉宾。
    Huān yíng gè wèi jiā bīn cān jiā jīn tiān de huó dòng.
    Welcome all honored guests to today's event.

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.

嘉jiāfine; honored
宾bīnguest

嘉 means fine or honored and 宾 means guest; together they name an esteemed guest.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
壴壴zhù
Sound part声符shēngfú
加
加jiā嘉jiā
Same sound today

嘉 is built from 壴, the part tied to its sense, and 加, the part tied to its sound.

Open 嘉 →

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 賓; 宾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèi
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡧍
𡧍𡧍賓bīn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賓 is built from 𡧍 and 貝: 𡧍 gives the sound, and 貝 relates to the meaning. The simplified 宾 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 宾 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Social Roles & Status

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