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生人 (shēng rén) — stranger; living person

Definition

Literary/formal word for a 'stranger' (a person one does not know) — sounds more written than the everyday 陌生人. The second sense, 'living person', contrasts with the dead in solemn contexts like ruins.

noun
strangerliving person
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 生人，。
    Tā shì yí gè shēng rén, wǒ men dōu bú rèn shi tā.
    He is a stranger; none of us know him.
  • ，生人。
    Zài fèi xū lǐ, tā men méi yǒu fā xiàn rèn hé shēng rén de qì xī.
    In the ruins, they found no sign of any living person.
  • 生人，。
    shēng rén Wù jìn, xiǎo xīn wēi xiǎn.
    Strangers keep away; be careful of danger.

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.

生shēngunfamiliar; living
人rénperson

'生' can mean unfamiliar or living and '人' person; together they name a stranger or living person.

Characters in this word

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

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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
People (General)

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