超人 (chāo rén) — exceptional; extraordinary | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used as an adjective to mean 'superhuman / exceptional' — describing ability or talent far beyond normal. As a noun it means 'Superman' (the superhero), but at HSK 7 focus on the figurative adjective sense.

adjective

exceptionalextraordinary

Examples

超人。
Tā de néng lì zhēn shì chāo rén.
His ability is truly exceptional.
超人。
Zhè wèi yùn dòng yuán chāo rén de tǐ lì ràng tā yíng dé le bǐ sài.
The athlete's superhuman stamina helped him win the competition.
，超人。
Zài jiě jué nán tí fāng miàn, tā yǒu zhe chāo rén de tiān fù.
He has exceptional talent when it comes to solving difficult problems.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

'超' means to exceed and '人' means people, so together they express exceeding ordinary people.

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.

走召超

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

召

召zhào超chāo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

超 pairs 走, meaning “run,” with 召, which gives the sound.

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Appears in

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