TongTong
Sign in

新兵 (xīn bīng) — new recruit; new soldier

Definition

noun
new recruitnew soldier
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 新兵。
    Tā shì yì míng gāng rù wǔ de xīn bīng.
    He is a newly enlisted recruit.
  • 新兵。
    Zhè xiē xīn bīng zhèng zài cāo chǎng shàng xùn liàn.
    These new recruits are training on the drill ground.
  • 新兵。
    Lǎo bīng zài jiào xīn bīng rú hé shǐ yòng wǔ qì.
    The veteran is teaching the new recruits how to use weapons.

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xīnnew
兵bīngsoldier

新 means new and 兵 means soldier, denoting a newly enlisted soldier.

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 →

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

  • 斤斤jīna short axe
  • 廾廾gǒng2 hands

兵 combines 斤, a short axe, with 廾, two hands, showing a pair of hands holding a weapon.

Open 兵 →
Appears in
Military & Defense

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