spectator; onlooker; audience
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
spectator; onlooker; member of an audience
dialectOriginally a dialect term, now widely used in standard Mandarin to describe people watching a performance or event, often with a connotation of passive observation or indifference. Frequently used in literary and media contexts.
Tā他
zhǐ只
shì是
zhàn站
zài在
yī一
páng旁
lěng冷
yǎn眼
páng旁
guān观
de的
kàn看
kè客
。
He was just a bystander watching coldly from the side.
Zhè这
chǎng场
yǎn演
chū出
xī吸
yǐn引
le了
dà大
pī批
kàn看
kè客
。
This performance attracted a large audience.
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Zài在
nà那
gè个
shí时
dài代
，
fù妇
nǚ女
zhǐ只
shì是
bèi被
dāng当
zuò作
kàn看
kè客
，
bù不
néng能
cān参
yù与
tǎo讨
lùn论
。
In that era, women were treated merely as spectators and could not participate in discussions.
Lǔ鲁
Xùn迅
de的
xiǎo小
shuō说
《
Shì示
zhòng众
》
miáo描
xiě写
le了
yī一
qún群
wú无
liáo聊
de的
kàn看
kè客
。
Lu Xun's short story 'The Spectators' describes a group of bored onlookers.