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愚人 (yú rén) — fool; simpleton (formal/literary)

Definition

Literary/formal word for 'fool' — used in set phrases (愚人节 'April Fools' Day') and classical sayings rather than everyday speech. Stronger and more bookish than the common 傻子.

noun
foolsimpleton (formal/literary)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，愚人。
    Tā jū rán xiāng xìn jiǎ huà, zhēn shì gè yú rén.
    He actually believed the lies; what a fool.
  • ，愚人，。
    Yǒu jù gǔ huà shuō, yú rén qiān lǜ, bì yǒu yì dé.
    There is a saying that even a fool may have a good idea.
  • ，。
    yú rén Jié nà tiān, dà jiā dōu xǐ huan kāi wán xiào.
    On April Fools' Day, everyone likes to play jokes.

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.

愚yúfoolish
人rénperson

A 人 who is 愚, meaning a foolish person.

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú愚yú
Same sound today

愚 pairs 心 (heart) with 禺 for the sound; the heart part relates to the sense of foolishness.

Open 愚 →

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 →
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