Definitions
(noun)
people; citizens; inhabitants
Etymology
Pictograph of an eye (目) being poked with something sharp. In ancient China, slaves were sometimes punished by blinding them with a sharp object. Based on the original meaning "slave". The meaning later shifted to "common person".
About
The character "民" originates from early societal contexts where it conceptually denoted subordinated individuals, specifically slaves or bondsmen, with its formative representation containing elements alluding to coercion that are no longer discernible in its current unified and indivisible structure. Over time, its meaning broadened from referring to a servile social stratum to encompassing the general populace, and it further evolved to incorporate connotations of ethnic identity and collective membership within a political community, reflecting shifts in social organization and political thought. This semantic expansion has solidified its role as a fundamental morpheme in compounds addressing people, nationality, and civic concepts.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我们是中国人民。
农民在田里工作。
市民们热爱这座城市。
民主制度保障公民权利。
少数民族文化丰富多彩。
民生问题是政府的首要任务。
国民素质决定国家未来。
民营企业是市场经济的重要部分。