风笛手
fēng dí shǒu
The English word 'piper' is translated into Chinese as 风笛手 (fēng dí shǒu).
风笛手 refers to a musician who plays a pipe (noun).
Meaning: musician who plays a pipe (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 风笛 (bagpipes), meaning 'wind instrument' and 手 (hand/person), meaning 'player' or 'practitioner'.
Which one should you use?
In casual conversation, one might use the colloquial expression 吹笛的, which means 'the one who plays the flute'.
How do you pronounce it?
fēng dí shǒu
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the word 风笛 specifically evokes the Scottish bagpipes, as traditional Chinese pipes do not use a wind bag.
- The term 手 is also used in the phrase 新手 to mean 'beginner', regardless of whether they are a musician.
- The character 手 (shǒu) in 风笛手 does not just mean 'hand', but serves as a suffix to turn a tool or an action into a professional identity. This is the same pattern used in words like 选手 (xuǎnshǒu) for a 'contestant' or 'player'.
Examples in context
- 那位笛手表演得非常出色。That piper performed exceptionally well.
- 这位吹笛者具有出色的演奏技巧。This piper has outstanding playing skills.
- 那位吹箫者的音乐非常动人。The piper's music is very moving.
- 我们那个笛子手今晚要在酒吧演出。Our piper will be performing at the bar tonight.
- 那个吹笛的今天在公园里演奏了很多美妙的音乐。The one who plays the flute performed a lot of beautiful music in the park today.
- 他是一名优秀的风笛手。Tā shì yī míng yōuxiù de fēngdíshǒu.He is an excellent piper.
- 那个风笛手在街上表演。Nàge fēngdíshǒu zài jiē shàng biǎoyǎn.That piper is performing on the street.
- 你想见见那位著名的风笛手吗？Nǐ xiǎng jiànjian nà wèi zhùmíng de fēngdíshǒu ma?Do you want to meet that famous piper?
Example conversation
Wei and Jiayi are watching a street performance.
- 伟 Wei佳怡，你看那个风笛手！Jiāyí, nǐ kàn nàge fēngdíshǒu!Jiayi, look at that piper!
- 佳怡 Jiayi他的音乐非常好听。Tā de yīnyuè fēicháng hǎotīng.His music sounds great.
- 伟 Wei风笛手穿的衣服很特别。Fēngdíshǒu chuān de yīfú hěn tèbié.The piper's clothes are very special.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那是传统的苏格兰裙。Nà shì chuántǒng de Sūgélán qún.That is a traditional Scottish kilt.
