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新教徒 (xīn jiào tú) — Protestant (member of a Protestant Christian denomination)

Definition

noun
Protestant (member of a Protestant Christian denomination)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 新教徒。
    Wǒ rèn shi de yí wèi xīn jiào tú fēi cháng qián chéng.
    A Protestant I know is very devout.
  • 新教徒。
    Ōu zhōu yǒu hěn duō xīn jiào tú.
    Europe has many Protestants.
  • ，新教徒。
    Zài lì shǐ kè shàng, wǒ men tǎo lùn le xīn jiào tú de qǐ yuán.
    In history class, we discussed the origins of Protestantism.

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.

新教Protestantism
新xīnnew教jiàoreligion
偏正Modifier + head
徒túadherent

新 (new) and 教 (religion) form 新教 (Protestantism), and 徒 (adherent) makes a Protestant believer.

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 →

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
子子zǐchild
攵Written in full as攴pūteaching cane; stick that represents authority
Sound part声符shēngfú
爻
爻yáo教jiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

教 uses 爻 for its sound and puts 子 (child) with 攵 (攴), a teaching cane, to show teaching a child.

Open 教 →

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
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
土
土tǔ徒tú
Same sound today

徒 originally paired 辵, a walking sign, with 土 to show its sound. The shape later changed into 彳 and 走.

Open 徒 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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