良民 (liáng mín) — law-abiding citizen, good member of society; (historical) loyal subject, obedient subject of the emperor

Definition

Literally 'good people/citizens' — a law-abiding member of society, often with a slightly formal or literary tone. In modern usage it can hint at a person who is outwardly obedient or unremarkable (e.g. 'looks like a 良民').

noun
law-abiding citizengood member of society(historical) loyal subjectobedient subject of the emperor
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 良民，。
    Tā shì gè liáng mín, cóng bú zuò wéi fǎ de shì.
    He is a law-abiding citizen and never does anything illegal.
  • 良民。
    Gǔ dài huáng dì xī wàng suǒ yǒu chén mín dōu zuò liáng mín.
    In ancient times, emperors hoped all subjects would be loyal citizens.
  • 良民，。
    Bié kàn tā biǎo miàn xiàng gè liáng mín, qí shí xīn lǐ zhǔ yì duō zhe ne.
    Don't be fooled by his appearance of a docile citizen; he actually has plenty of his own ideas.

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.

良liánggood
民mínpeople

良 means good or law-abiding, and 民 means people, so the term refers to good citizens.

Characters in this word

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

良 possibly depicts corridors and a room.

Open 良 →

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 →

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