武夫 (wǔ fū) — warrior; man of great physical prowess

Definition

Literary/classical term for a 'warrior' or strong fighting man. Carries a rough, traditional feel — not the modern 战士 for soldiers, and distinctly older/less neutral than 武士.

noun
warriorman of great physical prowess
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 武夫，。
    Zhè wèi wǔ fū shēn cái kuí wu, wǔ yì gāo qiáng.
    This warrior has a burly build and superb martial skills.
  • 武夫。
    Gǔ dài wǔ fū cháng yǐ dāo jiàn wéi bàn.
    Ancient warriors often kept swords as companions.
  • 武夫，。
    Tā suī shì yí jiè wǔ fū, què cū zhōng yǒu xì.
    Although he is a mere warrior, he is rough yet careful.

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.

武wǔmartial
夫fūman

武 (martial) and 夫 (man) combine to mean a warrior.

Characters in this word

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

武 puts 戈 (dagger-axe) above 止 (foot/to walk), showing an army going on an expedition.

Open 武 →

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

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

夫 originally drew a man. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write a pronoun, so the picture and the pronoun meaning are unrelated.

Open 夫 →

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