臣子 (chén zǐ) — minister; court official (in ancient China)

Definition

A historical term for a minister or court official who served the monarch in ancient China. The role was defined by loyalty to 君主 (the ruler), not by administering a modern-style government department.

noun
ministercourt official (in ancient China)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 臣子。
    Gǔ dài de chén zǐ yào duì jūn zhǔ zhōng chéng.
    Ancient ministers had to be loyal to the monarch.
  • 臣子。
    Zhè wèi chén zǐ wèi guó jiā tí chū le hěn duō hǎo jiàn yì.
    This minister proposed many good suggestions for the country.
  • 臣子。
    chén zǐ Men dōu zài cháo táng shàng shāng yì guó shì.
    The ministers were all discussing state affairs in the court.

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.

臣chénminister
子zǐtraditional title element

臣 gives the sense of a minister, and 子 finishes the traditional word for a court official.

Characters in this word

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

臣 is shaped like a man's vertical eye looking downward.

Open 臣 →

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 →

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