难民
nànmín
The English word 'refugee' is translated into Mandarin as 难民 (nànmín).
The term 难民 refers to a person or a group of people who are fleeing conflict or persecution and have been granted formal asylum.
Meaning: person granted formal asylum (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 难 (nàn), meaning 'hardship' or 'difficulty' and 民 (mín), meaning 'people'.
How do you pronounce it?
nànmín
Did you know?
- The character 民 is one of the most ancient characters in the language, originally depicting a person with a large eye. In ancient times, this was sometimes interpreted as a way to distinguish commoners from the nobility.
- While 难民 is the formal term for a refugee, Chinese often uses the phrase 流离失所 to describe the state of being displaced. This idiom literally means 'wandering from place to place and having no fixed home'.
- The word 难 is also used in the term 难民营, meaning 'refugee camp'. The character 营 originally referred to a military camp, reflecting the organized or guarded nature of these sites.
Examples in context
- 难民问题是一个全球性的挑战。The refugee issue is a global challenge.
- 这个组织致力于帮助难民融入新的社会。This organization is dedicated to helping refugees integrate into new societies.
- 我认识几个从叙利亚逃难过来的人。I know a few people who have come here as refugees from Syria.
- 这个地区正经历着大量逃难者的涌入。This region is experiencing a large influx of refugees.
- 许多难民正在寻求庇护。Xǔduō nànmín zhèngzài xúnqiú bìhù.Many refugees are seeking asylum.
- 这个组织为难民提供食物。Zhège zǔzhī wèi nànmín tígōng shíwù.This organization provides food for refugees.
- 难民的情况非常令人同情。Nànmín de qíngkuàng fēicháng lìngrén tóngqíng.The refugees' situation is very pitiable.
Example conversation
Xiaowen and Zhiqiang are discussing a news report about a global crisis.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，你看这个关于难民的新闻了吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ kàn zhège guānyú nánmín de xīnwén le ma?Zhiqiang, did you see this news about refugees?
- 志强 Zhiqiang看了，情况看起来非常糟糕。kàn le, qíngkuàng kàn qǐlái fēicháng zāogāo.I did, the situation looks very bad.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们应该捐款帮帮这些难民。wǒmen yīnggāi juānkuǎn bāngbang zhèxiē nánmín.We should donate money to help these refugees.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好主意，我现在就去查怎么捐款。hǎo zhǔyì, wǒ xiànzài jiù qù chá zěnme juānkuǎn.Good idea, I will go check how to donate right now.
