小人物 (xiǎo rén wù) — an insignificant person; a nobody | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

小人物 literally means 'small person' and refers to ordinary, unimportant people with no power or fame — not a self-deprecating way to say 'I'. Often used to highlight the contrast between everyday people and powerful figures or grand events.

noun

an insignificant persona nobody

Measure word · 个

Examples

小人物，。
Tā zài gōng sī lǐ zhǐ shì gè xiǎo rén wù, méi rén zhù yì tā.
He is just a nobody in the company; nobody pays attention to him.
小人物。
Zhè bù xiǎo shuō miáo xiě le xǔ duō xiǎo rén wù de xǐ nù āi lè.
This novel depicts the joys and sorrows of many insignificant people.
小人物。
Bú yào yīn wèi zì jǐ shì xiǎo rén wù jiù fàng qì nǔ lì.
Don't give up just because you are a nobody.

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.

人物person

人rénperson物wùthing

偏正Modifier + head

The 小 'small' sense combines with 人物 to mean an insignificant person.

Characters in this word

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

八八bāto divide; to separate
丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

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.

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

牛勿物

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

勿

勿wù物wù

Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Appears in

People (General)Social Roles & Status

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.