人民

Chinese

		man; person; people	the people; nationality; citizen
simp. and trad. (人民)		人	民
anagram		民人

Etymology

Attestable in pre-Qin texts. Modern sense Wasei kango (和製漢語), orthographically borrowed from Japanese 人民(じんみん) (jinmin, “the people”), which was in turn a semantic readaptation of Chinese 人民 (rénmín, “common people”).

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 人民

1. people (collectively, as members of society)

   熱愛人民／热爱人民  ―  rè'ài rénmín  ―  to love the people

   人民民主專政／人民民主专政  ―  rénmín mínzhǔ zhuānzhèng  ―  people's democratic dictatorship

   科技應為人民利益服務。 [MSC, trad.]
   科技应为人民利益服务。 [MSC, simp.]

   Kējì yīng wèi rénmín lìyì fúwù. [Pinyin]

   Science and technology should work for the good of the people.

   中國人民政治協商會議 [MSC, trad.]
   中国人民政治协商会议 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhōngguó rénmín zhèngzhì xiéshāng huìyì [Pinyin]

   Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

   • 孟子曰：「諸侯之寶三：土地、人民、政事。寶珠玉者，殃必及身。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     孟子曰：「诸侯之宝三：土地、人民、政事。宝珠玉者，殃必及身。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: c. 300 BC, 孟子 盡心下:74 (Mencius (book)); translation: 1861, James Legge, The Works of Mencius

     Mèngzǐ yuē: “Zhūhóu zhī bǎo sān: tǔdì, rénmín, zhèngshì. Bǎo zhūyù zhě, yāng bì jíshēn.” [Pinyin]

     Mencius said, 'The precious things of a prince are three: the territory, the people, the government and its business. If one value as most precious pearls and jade, calamity is sure to befall him.'

2. humanity; humans (as a collective); humankind; the human race

Usage notes

人民 (rénmín) can only refer to people collectively, as a unit. To refer to people as individually countable persons, use 人 (rén). To refer to people in an otherwise general sense, use 人們／人们 (rénmen).

Synonyms

• (people):

(deprecated template usage)

• 一般人 (yībānrén)
• 世人 (shìrén)
• 世間人／世间人 (Hokkien)
• 人士 (rénshì) (literary)
• 人群 (rénqún)
• 人萌 (rénméng) (literary)
• 俗人 (súrén)
• 俗子 (súzǐ) (literary)
• 𫣆人 (Hakka)
• 兆民 (zhàomín) (archaic)
• 公眾／公众 (gōngzhòng)
• 凡人 (fánrén)
• 凡夫 (fánfū) (literary)
• 匹夫 (pǐfū) (literary)
• 四眾人／四众人 (si³ zing³ nang⁵) (Teochew)
• 士人 (shìrén) (archaic)
• 大眾／大众 (dàzhòng)
• 子民 (zǐmín) (historical)
• 家人 (jiārén) (archaic)
• 布衣 (bùyī) (historical)
• 常人 (chángrén)
• 平人 (píngrén) (literary)
• 平常人 (píngchángrén)
• 平民 (píngmín)
• 庶人 (shùrén) (literary)
• 庶民 (shùmín) (literary)
• 斯人 (sīrén) (Classical Chinese)
• 普通人 (pǔtōngrén)
• 民人 (mínrén) (literary)
• 民眾／民众 (mínzhòng)
• 烝民 (zhēngmín) (literary)
• 白衣 (báiyī) (historical)
• 白衣人 (báiyīrén) (historical)
• 白身 (báishēn) (archaic)
• 白身人 (báishēnrén) (archaic)
• 百姓
• 眾人／众人 (zhòngrén) (literary)
• 萬姓／万姓 (wànxìng) (archaic)
• 群眾／群众 (qúnzhòng)
• 老百姓 (lǎobǎixìng)
• 良人 (liángrén) (literary)
• 草民 (cǎomín) (the worthless ordinary people)
• 草菅 (cǎojiān) (Classical Chinese, figurative)
• 草野 (cǎoyě) (literary, figurative)
• 萌 (literary)
• 野人 (yěrén) (archaic)
• 黎庶 (líshù) (literary)
• 黎民 (límín) (literary)
• 黎首 (líshǒu) (archaic)
• 黔首 (qiánshǒu) (archaic)

 

• (humanity): 人類／人类 (rénlèi)

Descendants

• → Manchu: ᠨᡳᠶ᠋ᠠᠯᠮᠠ
  ᡳᡵᡤᡝᠨ (niyalma irgen) (calque)
• → Zhuang: yinzminz

See also

• 人口 (rénkǒu)
• 人類／人类 (rénlèi)
• 人們／人们 (rénmen)
• 人士 (rénshì)
• 人員／人员 (rényuán)

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
人	民
じん Grade: 1	みん Grade: 4
on’yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese compound 人民 (MC nyin mjin). Compare modern Mandarin 人民 (rénmín), Wu 人民 (zen min (T3)), Min Nan 人民 (jîn-bîn).

Formerly pronounced with a consistent 呉音 (goon) reading of ninmin, later changing to a mixed 漢音 (kan'on) / 呉音 (goon) reading of jinmin.

Noun

人(じん)民(みん) • (jinmin) 

1. the people, the general public, the citizens

Synonyms

• (people of a nation): 国民(こくみん) (kokumin)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 人民委員(じんみんいいん) (jinmin īn): commissar (of the former Soviet Union)
• 人民委員会(じんみんいいんかい) (jinmin īnkai): commissariat (of the former Soviet Union)
• 人民解放軍(じんみんかいほうぐん) (Jinmin Kaihō Gun): the People's Liberation Army (PLA) (of China)
• 人民憲章(じんみんけんしょう) (Jinmin Kenshō): the People's Charter (as established in 1838 in the UK)
• 人民公社(じんみんこうしゃ) (jinmin kōsha): a people's commune (in China)
• 人民裁判(じんみんさいばん) (jinmin saiban): a people's court
• 人民主義(じんみんしゅぎ) (jinmin shugi): populism
• 人民主権(じんみんしゅけん) (jinmin shuken): popular sovereignty, the idea that sovereignty resides in the people
• 人民戦線(じんみんせんせん) (jinmin sensen): a popular front (as in the name of a group or organization)
• 人民大会堂(じんみんだいかいどう) (Jinmin Dai Kaidō): the Great Hall of the People (in Beijing)
• 人民投票(じんみんとうひょう) (jinmin tōhyō): a national referendum, a vote by the people of a nation
• 人民日報(じんみんにっぽう) (Jinmin Nippō): the People's Daily, the state media of Beijing
• 人民服(じんみんふく) (jinmin fuku): the “people's clothes” → a Mao suit
• 人民民主主義(じんみんみんしゅしゅぎ) (jinmin minshushugi): people's democracy

Descendants

• Chinese: 人民 (rénmín)
• Korean: 인민 (inmin)
• Vietnamese: nhân dân

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Korean

Hanja in this term
人	民

Hanja

人民 • (inmin) (hangeul 인민)

1. Hanja form^? of 인민 (“the people (of a country), citizens”).

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Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
人	民

Noun

人民

1. chữ Hán form of nhân dân (“people”).