兵马俑
bīngmǎyǒng
The English phrase "terracotta warriors" is translated into Chinese as 兵马俑 (bīngmǎyǒng).
兵马俑 refers to the collection of life-sized clay sculptures depicting soldiers and horses from the Qin dynasty in China.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of three parts: 兵 (soldier), 马 (horse) and 俑 (burial figure or effigy).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, the traditional characters 兵馬俑 are used.
How does it change in a sentence?
兵马俑 is a noun phrase that does not change its form for plurality or number.
How do you pronounce it?
bīngmǎyǒng
Did you know?
- The word 俑 originally referred to a human sacrifice buried with a ruler, but over time it evolved to mean a clay substitute used to avoid killing real people.
- In modern Chinese, 'terracotta' is usually translated as 陶, but the phrase 兵马俑 avoids this word entirely. It relies on 俑 to convey the specific funerary purpose of the sculptures.
- While 兵马俑 translates as 'soldiers and horses', the actual collection includes non-combatants such as officials and acrobats. The term 俑 covers any figure meant to serve the deceased, regardless of their military rank.
Examples in context
- 在陕西的秦始皇陵中发现了兵马俑。Terracotta Warriors were discovered in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Shaanxi.
- 听说中国最著名的博物馆之一是兵马俑博物馆。I heard that one of the most famous museums in China is the Terracotta Warriors Museum.
- 西安有兵马俑。Xī'ān yǒu bīngmǎyǒng.There are terracotta warriors in Xi'an.
- 我想去参观兵马俑。Wǒ xiǎng qù cānguān bīngmǎyǒng.I want to go visit the terracotta warriors.
- 兵马俑非常壮观。Bīngmǎyǒng fēicháng zhuàngguān.The terracotta warriors are very spectacular.
Example conversation
Wei and Yuting are planning a trip to China.
- 伟 Wei雨婷，我们去西安吧。Yǔtíng, wǒmen qù Xī'ān ba.Yuting, let's go to Xi'an.
- 雨婷 Yuting好啊，我想看兵马俑。Hǎo a, wǒ xiǎng kàn bīngmǎyǒng.Sure, I want to see the terracotta warriors.
- 伟 Wei我也很感兴趣。Wǒ yě hěn gǎn xìngqù.I am very interested too.
- 雨婷 Yuting那我们现在订票吧。Nà wǒmen xiànzài dìngpiào ba.Then let's book the tickets now.
