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族人 (zú rén) — clan members, relatives (of the same clan or lineage)

Definition

族人 refers specifically to members of the same 族 (clan or ethnic/kinship group), emphasizing shared lineage. 家族 is broader, denoting the family/clan as a whole rather than its individual members.

noun
clan membersrelatives (of the same clan or lineage)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 族人。
    Zhè wèi lǎo rén shì cūn lǐ zuì nián zhǎng de zú rén.
    This elderly person is the oldest clan member in the village.
  • 族人。
    Tā men jiā zú měi nián dōu huì jǔ xíng zú rén jù huì.
    Their clan holds a gathering of clan members every year.
  • 族人。
    Gǔ dài zú rén zhī jiān cháng cháng hù xiāng bāng zhù.
    In ancient times, clan members often helped each other.

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.

族zúclan
人rénperson

族 specifies the clan and 人 people; together they mean members of a clan.

Characters in this word

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

族 combines 㫃, a flag, and 矢, an arrow.

Open 族 →

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
Family & Kinship

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