清洁员 (qīng jié yuán) — cleaner, janitor, sanitation worker

Definition

noun
cleanerjanitorsanitation worker
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 清洁员。
    qīng jié yuán Měi tiān zǎo shàng wǔ diǎn jiù kāi shǐ gōng zuò.
    The cleaner starts work at five every morning.
  • 清洁员。
    Zhè wèi qīng jié yuán bǎ bàn gōng shì dǎ sǎo dé hěn gān jìng.
    This janitor cleaned the office very thoroughly.
  • 清洁员。
    Gōng sī xīn zhāo le yì míng qīng jié yuán.
    The company hired a new cleaner.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

清洁clean
清qīngclear洁jiéclean
联合Side by side
员yuánperson

清 and 洁 mean clean, and 员 refers to a person doing this work.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng清qīng
Same sound today

清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.

Open 清 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 潔; 洁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
絜
絜jié潔jié
Same sound today

The traditional form 潔 pairs 氵, a water part, with 絜, which gives the sound; the simplified 洁 is a later abbreviation.

Open 洁 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 員; 员 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鼎鼎dǐngding
Sound part声符shēngfú
〇
〇líng員yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 員, 〇 supplies the sound and 鼎 supplies the meaning; the simplified 员 is a shortened form.

Open 员 →

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