鼓吹者 (gǔ chuī zhě) — (derogatory) advocate, proponent, champion (of an idea or cause, with a negative spin)

Definition

A '鼓吹者' is an advocate or champion of an idea, but with a negative spin — someone who pushes a view the speaker disagrees with. Translate it as 'propagandist' or 'zealous advocate' rather than the neutral 'advocate'.

noun
(derogatory) advocateproponentchampion (of an idea or cause, with a negative spin)

Examples

  • 鼓吹者。
    Tā shì zhè zhǒng jí duān sī xiǎng de gǔ chuī zhě.
    He is an advocate of this extreme ideology.
  • 鼓吹者。
    Zhè xiē gǔ chuī zhě bú duàn kuā dà xīn zhèng cè de yōu diǎn.
    These advocates keep exaggerating the merits of the new policy.
  • 鼓吹者。
    Méi tǐ shàng de gǔ chuī zhě wǎng wǎng hū lüè shì shí.
    Advocates in the media often ignore the facts.

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.

鼓吹promote
鼓gǔbeat drum吹chuīblow
联合Side by side
者zhěperson

鼓 (beat drum) and 吹 (blow) together suggest loud promotion, while 者 indicates the person who does it.

Characters in this word

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

  • 壴壴zhùdrum
  • 支支zhīhand holding drumstick

鼓 combines 壴, a drum, with 支, a hand holding a drumstick, so the character pictures a drum being struck.

Open 鼓 →

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

吹 pairs 口 (mouth) with 欠 (blow), giving the picture of air being blown from the mouth.

Open 吹 →

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 →

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