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强人 (qiáng rén) — (historical) robber, highwayman; (modern) powerful person, strongman

Definition

强人 (qiángrén) means 'strongman' or 'tycoon' — a person of great ability, drive, or power in business or other fields. In historical contexts it means 'highwayman / robber' (bandits who robbed travelers).

noun
(historical) robberhighwayman(modern) powerful personstrongman
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 强人。
    Gǔ dài yǒu hěn duō qiáng rén zài shān shàng qiǎng jié.
    In ancient times, there were many highwaymen robbing on the mountains.
  • 强人，。
    Tā shì gōng sī lǐ de qiáng rén, dà jiā dōu tīng tā de.
    He is a powerful person in the company; everyone listens to him.
  • 强人。
    Zhè wèi shāng jiè qiáng rén zuì jìn tóu zī le yí gè xīn xiàng mù.
    This business tycoon recently invested in a new project.

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.

强qiángstrong
人rénperson

强 adds the idea of strength, and 人 gives a person, so the word means a powerful person or, historically, a robber.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 強; 强 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 強 pairs an insect component with a sound component; this explains 強, not the simplified 强.

Open 强 →

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
Crime & PoliceSocial Roles & Status

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