弄臣 (nòng chén) — court jester; favorite courtier; minion

Definition

A 弄臣 (lòngchén) is a court jester or favored courtier in ancient China who entertained the emperor through jokes and flattery. The term carries a negative connotation of someone who gained influence through sycophancy rather than ability.

noun
court jesterfavorite courtierminion
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，弄臣，。
    Zài gǔ dài gōng tíng zhōng, nòng chén cháng cháng bàn yǎn xiǎo chǒu de jué sè, wèi huáng dì jiě mèn.
    In ancient imperial courts, the court jester often played the role of a clown to amuse the emperor.
  • 弄臣。
    Zhè wèi nòng chén píng jiè chǎn mèi zhī cí huò dé le huáng dì de chǒng xìn.
    This favorite courtier gained the emperor's trust through flattering words.
  • ，弄臣。
    Lì shǐ xué jiā rèn wéi, nòng chén de quán shì wǎng wǎng dǎo zhì cháo zhèng fǔ bài.
    Historians believe that the power of court jesters often led to political corruption.

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.

弄nòngentertaining
臣chénminister

A 弄 entertaining 臣 minister is a court favorite who amuses the ruler.

Characters in this word

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

The form 弄 combines 玉 (jade) with 廾 (hands), showing hands touching or handling jade.

Open 弄 →

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

臣 is shaped like a man's vertical eye looking downward.

Open 臣 →

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