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寡人 (guǎ rén) — (archaic pronoun) I, used by a sovereign to refer to himself

Definition

Archaic royal first-person pronoun: a king or emperor's way of saying 'I' in formal speech. Today it's understood from historical drama and classical texts, not used in everyday talk.

pronoun
(archaic pronoun) I, used by a sovereign to refer to himself

Examples

  • 寡人，？
    guǎ rén Nǎi yì guó zhī jūn, qǐ néng shī xìn yú mín?
    I am the ruler of the entire nation — how could I break my word to the people?
  • 寡人，？
    guǎ rén Shēn gǎn yōu lǜ, bù zhī zhòng qīng yǒu hé liáng cè?
    I am deeply worried; I wonder what good strategies you ministers have?
  • 寡人，夙，。
    guǎ rén Jí wèi yǐ lái, sù yè yōu tàn, wéi kǒng gū fù xiān wáng.
    Since I ascended the throne, I have sighed with worry day and night, fearing only to fail my predecessor.

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.

寡guǎfew
人rénperson

寡人 uses 寡 (few) and 人 (person) as a humble royal 'I.'

Characters in this word

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

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 頁頁yèhead

The form 寡 pairs 宀, a house, with 頁, a head: one head in a house, alone.

Open 寡 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
Appears in
Identity & TitlesGovernment & Politics

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