TongTong
Sign in

贵宾 (guì bīn) — VIP, honored guest

Definition

贵宾 (guìbīn) means 'VIP / distinguished guest' — emphasizes the guest's high status, used in hotels, conferences, and formal settings. 嘉宾 focuses on the guest's role at a specific event, such as a guest speaker on a show.

noun
VIPhonored guest
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 贵宾。
    Jiǔ diàn zhuān mén wèi guì bīn zhǔn bèi le tè bié de fáng jiān.
    The hotel has prepared special rooms just for VIPs.
  • 贵宾。
    Zhè cì huì yì yāo qǐng le duō wèi guì bīn cān jiā.
    This conference has invited many distinguished guests to attend.
  • 贵宾。
    guì bīn Qǐng gēn wǒ zǒu zhè biān.
    VIP, please come this way with me.

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.

贵guìhonored
宾bīnguest

“贵” means precious or honored, and “宾” means guest; together they name an honored guest.

Characters in this word

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 貴; 贵 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney cowrie
Sound part声符shēngfú
臾
臾yú貴guì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貴 uses 貝, a money cowrie, for meaning and 臾 for sound. The simplified 贵 is a later shorthand, and its parts are not the old parts.

Open 贵 →

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 賓; 宾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèi
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡧍
𡧍𡧍賓bīn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賓 is built from 𡧍 and 貝: 𡧍 gives the sound, and 貝 relates to the meaning. The simplified 宾 is a later abbreviation, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 宾 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Social Roles & Status

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.