客 (kè) - guest & visitor

客Tone 4

kè ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 宀

俊梁

客 · kè

guest;

visitor;

customer;

passenger;

to lodge;

traveling merchant;

objective;

external

guestvisitorcustomer

Usage highlights

guesttouristcustomerpassengerclientvisitor

Synonyms

  • 宾— distinguished guest; visitor
  • 旅客— traveler; passenger
  • 顾客— customer; client

Antonyms

  • 主— host; owner; main
  • 东— host; owner (as in 房东 - landlord)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • We have guests visiting today (客人来访).
  • The hotel serves many foreign tourists (外国游客).
  • He is a regular customer at this restaurant (常客).
  • Please take a seat, honored guest (请坐，贵客).

Collocations

  • guest(客人)
  • tourist(游客)
  • customer(顾客)
  • passenger(乘客)
  • client(客户)
  • visitor(访客)

Idioms

  • An uninvited guest(不速之客)
  • A rare visitor(稀客)
  • Guest takes precedence over host(反客为主)
  • Every guest brings something to the feast(客随主便)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese culture, guests are treated with great respect and hospitality.
  • The concept of 'guest' extends beyond personal visitors to include customers, clients, and passengers in various contexts.
  • In philosophical contexts, '客' can represent the objective or external perspective as opposed to the subjective '主' (host).

FAQ