僮 (tóng) - Minority ethnic group in ancient China & young servant or slave

僮Tone 2

tóng ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

婷婉

僮 · tóng

Minority ethnic group in ancient China;

young servant or slave;

also used to refer to children or young people in classical texts.

Minority ethnic group in ancient Chinayoung servant or slavealso used to refer to children or young

Usage highlights

Tong peoplehousehold servantyoung boystone attendantyoung maidservant boy

Synonyms

  • 仆— servant, attendant
  • 奴— slave, servant
  • 童— child, young person

Antonyms

  • 主— master, owner
  • 长— elder, senior

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The ancient Tong people lived in southern China (僮人).
  • He worked as a young servant in the household (家僮).
  • In classical texts, it refers to young people (僮子).
  • The stone carving depicts a young attendant (石僮).

Collocations

  • Tong people(僮人)
  • household servant(家僮)
  • young boy(僮子)
  • stone attendant(石僮)
  • young maid(僮女)
  • servant boy(书僮)

Idioms

  • Young and ignorant(僮蒙无知)
  • Servants and slaves(僮仆)
  • Young and inexperienced(僮稚)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically referred to ethnic minority groups in southern China, particularly in Guangxi region.
  • The character was used in '僮族' to denote the Zhuang ethnic group before the character 壮 was adopted in 1965.
  • In classical literature, often used to refer to young servants or slaves in wealthy households.
  • The character carries historical connotations of servitude and minority ethnic identity.

FAQ