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运动员 (yùn dòng yuán) — athlete

Definition

General word for 'athlete' — anyone who does sports, trained or pro. 选手 is more specific, used only for a competitor in a particular event or match.

noun
athlete
Measure word · 名, 个

Examples

  • 运动员。
    Tā xiǎo shí hou jiù xiǎng dāng yùn dòng yuán.
    He wanted to be an athlete since he was a child.
  • 运动员。
    Hěn duō yùn dòng yuán měi tiān dōu yào xùn liàn.
    Many athletes train every day.
  • 运动员。
    Zhè wèi yùn dòng yuán zài bǐ sài zhōng pǎo dé zuì kuài.
    This athlete ran the fastest in the competition.

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.

运动sports
运yùnmove动dòngmove
联合Coordinate
员yuánperson

运动 means “sports,” and 员 points to a person, giving “athlete.”

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 運; 运 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòmotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
軍
軍jūn運yùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 運 combines 辵, meaning motion, with 軍 to give the sound; the simplified 运 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 运 →

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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 員; 员 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鼎鼎dǐngding
Sound part声符shēngfú
〇
〇líng員yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 員, 〇 supplies the sound and 鼎 supplies the meaning; the simplified 员 is a shortened form.

Open 员 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3Sports & Athletics5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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