adult men; population
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 7 examplesnoun
able-bodied men; adult males (historical)
archaicHistorically referred to adult males eligible for conscription or corvée labor.
Jiù旧
shí时
guān官
fǔ府
cháng常
cháng常
qiáng强
zhuā抓
rén人
dīng丁
qù去
xiū修
cháng长
chéng城
。
In the old days, the government often forcibly conscripted able-bodied men to build the Great Wall.
Cūn村
lǐ里
rén人
dīng丁
bù不
zú足
，
wú无
fǎ法
àn按
shí时
wán完
chéng成
yáo徭
yì役
。
The village lacked sufficient able-bodied men and could not complete the corvée labor on time.
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Nà那
jiā家
yīn因
rén人
dīng丁
xī稀
shǎo少
ér而
bèi备
shòu受
qī欺
líng凌
。
That family was bullied because they had few adult males.
noun
population (of a family or household)
Commonly used in phrases describing family size, such as 人丁兴旺 (having a flourishing population).
Tā他
men们
jiā家
shì是
rén人
dīng丁
xīng兴
wàng旺
de的
dà大
jiā家
zú族
。
Their family is a large clan with a flourishing population.
Cūn村
lǐ里
rén人
dīng丁
xī稀
shǎo少
，
zhǐ只
shèng剩
xià下
jǐ几
hù户
rén人
jiā家
。
The village has a sparse population, with only a few households remaining.
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Tiān添
rén人
dīng丁
shì是
jiàn件
dà大
xǐ喜
shì事
。
Adding to the family population is a great joy.
Zhè这
hù户
rén人
jiā家
jìn近
nián年
lái来
rén人
dīng丁
dān单
bó薄
。
This household has had a dwindling family size in recent years.