TongTong
Sign in

民族 (mín zú) — ethnic group, nationality (ethnic identity)

Definition

民族 refers to an ethnic group (culture, language, identity) — different from 国籍, which is one's legal citizenship of a country. Plural 国度 often has just one 民族; countries like China have many.

noun
ethnic groupnationality (ethnic identity)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 民族。
    Zhōng guó yǒu wǔ shí liù gè mín zú.
    China has 56 ethnic groups.
  • 民族。
    Měi gè mín zú dōu yǒu zì jǐ de yǔ yán hé wén huà.
    Every ethnic group has its own language and culture.
  • 民族。
    Wǒ men yào zūn zhòng bù tóng de mín zú.
    We should respect different ethnic groups.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

民mínpeople
族zúgroup; clan

Both 民 and 族 point to a body of people, together naming a nationality or ethnic group.

Characters in this word

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

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.

Open 民 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Ethnic Groups & Nationalities

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.