TongTong
Sign in

民间 (mín jiān) — the sphere of ordinary people (as opposed to the government or official institutions); (used attributively) folk; popular; civilian

Definition

民间 refers specifically to ordinary people / the public sphere, distinct from the government or official institutions — closer to 'civil society' than to 大众 (the consumer masses) or 人民 (the people as a political entity).

noun
the sphere of ordinary people (as opposed to the government or official institutions)(used attributively) folkpopularcivilian

Examples

  • 民间。
    Zhè ge gù shi zài mín jiān liú chuán hěn guǎng.
    This story is widely circulated among the people.
  • 民间。
    Zhè jiā mín jiān zǔ zhī bāng zhù le hěn duō pín kùn ér tóng.
    This non-governmental organization helped many poor children.
  • 民间。
    Liǎng guó de mín jiān jiāo liú cù jìn le hù xiāng lǐ jiě.
    The people-to-people exchanges between the two countries promoted mutual understanding.

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.

民mínpeople
间jiānamong

民 means people and 间 means among or sphere, together referring to the sphere of ordinary people.

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 间 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Society & Public Life

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.