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行者 (xíng zhě) — (literary) pedestrian; passerby; (Buddhism) wandering monk; (archaic) abbot's servant

Definition

Literary term for a wayfarer or pilgrim — in modern Chinese most often used in the Buddhist sense of a wandering monk. Distinct from the everyday verb 行 (xíng, 'to walk / travel').

noun
(literary) pedestrianpasserby(Buddhism) wandering monk(archaic) abbot's servant
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 行者。
    Lù shang yǒu jǐ gè xíng zhě cōng cōng zǒu guò.
    There were several pedestrians hurrying along the road.
  • 行者。
    Zhè wèi xíng zhě lái zì yuǎn fāng de sì miào.
    This itinerant monk comes from a distant temple.
  • 行者。
    Gǔ shū lǐ jì zǎi le nà wèi xíng zhě de gù shi.
    The ancient book records the story of that wandering monk.

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.

行xíngwalk
者zhěperson

行 walking and 者 person combine for one who walks.

Characters in this word

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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

The form 者 originally drew a sugarcane with full stems, small points around it, and an open smiling mouth at the bottom.

Open 者 →
Appears in
People (General)

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