新人王 (xīn rén wáng) — rookie champion, best newcomer

Definition

"新人王" is a set title in competitive contexts (esports, sports, entertainment) awarded to the standout first-year or first-time performer — not just any newcomer.

noun
rookie championbest newcomer

Examples

  • 新人王。
    Tā jīn nián huò dé le xīn rén wáng de chēng hào.
    He won the title of rookie champion this year.
  • 新人王。
    Zhè ge yóu xì bǐ sài xuǎn chū le jīn nián de xīn rén wáng.
    This gaming competition selected this year's best newcomer.
  • 新人王，。
    Zuò wéi xīn rén wáng, tā biǎo xiàn fēi cháng chū sè.
    As the rookie champion, he performed very well.

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.

新人newcomer
新xīnnew人rénperson
偏正Modifier + head
王wángking

新 and 人 make newcomer, while 王 means king, giving the champion among newcomers.

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn新xīn
Same sound today

The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.

Open 新 →

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 →

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

The shape of 王 comes from a picture of a ritual axe, an object kept near a throne and connected with royal power.

Open 王 →

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