Definitions

(noun) guest; visitor
(noun) traveller; passenger
(noun) customer; client

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

The character "客" is etymologically derived from the radical "宀", representing a roof or dwelling, combined with "各", which originally signified coming or arriving, thereby constructing the notion of a person who comes to a house, i.e., a guest. Its structural composition as a semantic-phonetic compound has persisted without major alteration, with the roof component providing meaning and the other contributing to sound. The semantic scope of "客" expanded over time from its initial reference to a host's visitor to include itinerant individuals like travelers and merchants, as well as foreigners, and in modern contexts it often denotes customers or clients, while still carrying connotations of externality or temporary presence in terms such as "客座" or "客星".

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Warring States (~400 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这位是人。

Zhè wèi shì kè rén.

This is a guest.

人喜欢这里。

Kè rén xǐ huān zhè lǐ.

Guests like it here.

今天来了很多人。

Jīntiān lái le hěn duō kè rén.

Many guests came today.

他是我们的户。

Tā shì wǒmen de kèhù.

He is our client.

他对我很气。

Tā duì wǒ hěn kèqì.

He is very polite to me.

观地看问题。

Qǐng kèguān de kàn wèntí.

Please look at the problem objectively.

们参观了博物馆之后都很满意。

Yóukèmen cānguān le bówùguǎn zhīhòu dōu hěn mǎnyì.

The tourists were all satisfied after visiting the museum.

必须在起飞前半小时登机。

Chéngkè bìxū zài qǐfēi qián bàn xiǎoshí dēngjī.

Passengers must board the plane half an hour before takeoff.