民 (mín) - The people & populace
民 · mín
The people;
populace;
citizen;
civilian;
folk;
a member of a nation;
commoner.
The peoplepopulacecitizen
Usage highlights
PeopleCitizenDemocracyFolk songCivilianNationality
Usage & contexts
Examples
- The people are the foundation of a nation (民为邦本).
- He is a citizen of China (中国公民).
- Folk songs are very popular (民歌).
- Civil aviation is developing rapidly (民航).
Collocations
- People(人民)
- Citizen(公民)
- Democracy(民主)
- Folk song(民歌)
- Civilian(平民)
- Nationality(民族)
Idioms
- The people are the foundation of the state(民为邦本)
- To share weal and woe with the people(与民同乐)
- To deceive the emperor and fool the people(欺君罔民)
- The people are noble, the ruler is light(民贵君轻)
Cultural background
FAQ- In ancient Chinese political thought, '民' represented the common people, the foundation upon which a state was built.
- Confucian philosophy emphasizes the importance of the people's welfare for stable governance.
- In modern context, '民' is central to concepts like democracy (民主) and nationality (民族).