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知识分子 (zhī shi fèn zǐ) — intellectual(s); intelligentsia (educated person engaged in critical thought and social commentary)

Definition

Refers to educated people who engage in critical thinking and public commentary — a person, not a body of knowledge. 知识 by itself means 'knowledge' (the thing one has); 知识分子 is the person.

phrase
intellectual(s)intelligentsia (educated person engaged in critical thought and social commentary)

Examples

  • 知识分子。
    Dāng dài zhī shi fèn zǐ zài shè jiāo méi tǐ shàng yě hěn huó yuè.
    Contemporary intellectuals are also very active on social media.
  • 知识分子。
    Lǔ xùn shì zhōng guó xiàn dài wén xué shǐ shàng zuì yǒu míng de zhī shi fèn zǐ zhī yī.
    Lu Xun is one of the most famous intellectuals in the history of modern Chinese literature.
  • 知识分子，。
    Zhè xiē zhī shi fèn zǐ jī jí cān yù gōng gòng tǎo lùn, wèi shè huì fā zhǎn gòng xiàn lì liàng.
    These intellectuals actively participate in public discourse and contribute to social development.

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.

知识knowledge
知zhīknow识shírecognize
联合Coordinate
分子member
分fēn子zǐ

知识 (knowledge) and 分子 (member) together name a person belonging to the knowledgeable class.

Characters in this word

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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 識; 识 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánsay
Sound part声符shēngfú
戠
戠zhí識zhì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 識 pairs 言 (say) with 戠 as a sound part; the simplified 识 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 识 →

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Groups & Organizations

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