Meanings of 員
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About 員
Podcast: 員
Podcast: 員
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AI Study Notes for 員
職員 (zhíyuán) vs 員 (yuán) — use 職員 for formal job titles or positions, while 員 is more general for any member or employee.
Common mistakes include confusing 員 with related terms like 人 (rén), which simply means 'person'. 員 is often used in formal contexts, so be cautious about using it in casual conversation. It frequently collocates with words like '工作' (gōngzuò, work) and '成員' (chéngyuán, member).
While 員 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary list, it can be beneficial to connect it with other HSK words related to work and membership, such as '公司' (gōngsī, company) and '職員' (zhíyuán, staff). Focus on understanding its usage in various job-related contexts.
Learners often confuse 員 (yuán) with the simpler 人 (rén) and use it incorrectly in informal settings. For example, saying '我是一個員' (wǒ shì yīgè yuán) instead of '我是一個人' (wǒ shì yīgè rén) when simply identifying oneself.
Pronunciation of 員
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Etymology of 員
Simplified form of 員. Depicts the round opening (口) of a cooking pot (鼎). Based on the original meaning "round", now written as 圓. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
money
Jason Etymology Detective
Case file: 員
Simplified form of 員. Depicts the round opening (口) of a cooking pot (鼎). Based on the original meaning "round", now written as 圓. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
- 1The meaning half貝 carries the sense.
- 2The giveawaymoney
- 3On the record aspictophonetic.
Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.
Want the full history of 員? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.
Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.Character Formation Type
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Decomposition of 員
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How to say employee; member; personnel, staff in Chinese
“employee; member; personnel, staff” in Chinese is員
The character 員 (yuán) refers to an employee, member, or personnel within an organization. It is commonly used to describe a person who is part of a group, whether in a workplace or other formal settings, emphasizing their role or position within that structure.
When to use 員
Common mistakes include confusing 員 with related terms like 人 (rén), which simply means 'person'. 員 is often used in formal contexts, so be cautious about using it in casual conversation. It frequently collocates with words like '工作' (gōngzuò, work) and '成員' (chéngyuán, member).
員 or something close to it
職員 (zhíyuán) vs 員 (yuán) — use 職員 for formal job titles or positions, while 員 is more general for any member or employee.
What learners get wrong
Learners often confuse 員 (yuán) with the simpler 人 (rén) and use it incorrectly in informal settings. For example, saying '我是一個員' (wǒ shì yīgè yuán) instead of '我是一個人' (wǒ shì yīgè rén) when simply identifying oneself.
Write 員
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Practice writing 員 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Word Family of 員
Compound Meaning
What does 人员 mean?
Frequently Asked Questions about 員
員 refers generally to a member or employee, while 職員 specifically denotes a staff member or personnel, often implying a more formal position.
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