The Chinese Radical: 人




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Meaning
person    人

Explanation A standing person with spread legs.

Used in these characters:
HSK 1
person, people, man
rén

It shows a standing person with spread legs. (As a radical it looks like this: 亻)  
HSK 1
individual, this, that, size

Top: person 人, below: one 丨
A person as a "one" is an: individual.  
HSK 1
to meet, can, be possible, likely to, to assemble
huì, kuài
Top: person 人, below: to say, cloud 云 (It can drip from both 二, namely from noses 厶 or: clouds) - [厶 = nose in side view]
When persons are speaking 云 together as "two noses" they meet and assemble.  
HSK 1
to recognize, to know, to admit
rèn
Left: word 讠/言 (sound waves out of a mouth 口), right: person 人
By my words the person recognized me.  
HSK 1
now, today, present, current, this
jīn
Top: cover , bottom: corner フ
Put the cover into the corner! Now!  
HSK 1
to sit, to take (a seat/a bus), bear fruit
zuò
Two people 人 on the earth/ground 土
Two people on the ground: they are sitting.  
HSK 1
to drink, to shout loudly, My goodness!
hē, hè
Left: mouth 口, right: interrogation 曷 (= The mouth with tongue 日 enwraps 勹 the person 人 in the corner at the interrogation)
His mouth wants (when the sun is over the wrapped person 人) something: to drink.  
HSK 1
tea, tea plant
chá
From top: plant 艹, person 人 and a tree 木
The plant (the leafs), which are plucked by a person from a tree, is tea.  
HSK 2
follow, obey, (passing) through, from ... to
cōng, cóng, zòng
Two persons 人
Two persons in a relationship where one follows and obeys. (Or: The one person follows the other.)  
HSK 2
to use, according to, by means of, in order to

From left: antique scratch plow レ, plow furrow 丶, person 人
The scratch plow has cut a plow furrow, which the person uses.  
HSK 2
between, lie between, introduce
jiè
Top: person 人, below: armor 八
A person in the shell of the armor is: in between.  
HSK 2
to rest, to cease, to stop doing sth.
xiū
Left: person 亻or 人, right: tree 木
The person goes to a tree to have a rest.  
HSK 2
both, two, a few, tael(=50 grams unit = two ounces)
liǎng
Shows: inside 内 with one 一 further person 人, who is inside. (cf. third 丙)
Two connected 一 persons 人人 are inside 冂, thus both  
HSK 3
healthy, to be good at, to invigorate, strong, robust
jiàn
Left: person 亻, right: building/construction 建 (You have a brush 聿 in your hand and need to move 廴 for building)
A person who builds must be healthy and robust.  
HSK 3
to borrow, to lend, excuse
jiè
Left: person 亻, right: old days 昔 (Together 共 in the sun 日 we think of old times.)
(I did not forget:) This person has in the old days: borrowed sth.  
HSK 3
history, annals
shǐ
Mouth 口 and person 人 with a wide step (cf. unit of length 丈)
With the mouth, the person who made wide steps, tells his history.  
HSK 3
umbrella, parasol
sǎn

Image of an umbrella  
HSK 4
share, portion, part, copy (of magazine)
fèn
Left: person 人, right: to divide, part 分 (... with a sword 刀 in 8 八 pieces)
The persons get each a part as their share.  
HSK 4
troops, team, squadron, group
duì
Left: hill 阝 (The "hill"-radical 阝, stands also for border 际, limit 限 or obstruction 阻, such that persons form here the border troops.), right: person 人
On the hill the persons are posted as troops.  
HSK 4
to hand over to, deliver, to pay

Left: person 亻/人, right: skillful hand 寸
A person with a skillful hand, who hands over sth. or pays.  
HSK 4
many persons, numerous, crowd
zhòng
3
Shows three times the sign for person 人
Three persons stand for many people.  
HSK 4
inside, inner, interior
nèi
Outside: enclosure 冂, inside: person 人
The enclosure keeps the person inside.  
HSK 4
low, to lower (one's head), to hang down

Left: person 人, right: floor, foundation 氐 (The family 氏 sits down 一 on the floor.)
The person on the floor is in a low position.  
HSK 4
all, whole, entire, every, complete
quán
Top: person 人, bottom: king 王
The person of the king owns all and wholly.  
HSK 4
to fall, to collapse, to go bankrupt
dǎo, dào
From left: person 亻, get to/reach 到 (至 arrow falling back to earth 土), knife 刂
The person reaches the knife and falls into it.  
HSK 4
accidental, image, pair, mate
ǒu
Left: person 人, right: scorpion 禺 (image of a scorpion: combination of a carapace 田, insect 虫 and long legs 冂)
(At first they met 遇 with movements 辶) And then the person and the scorpion became accidentally a pair.  
HSK 4
(two, three etc) -fold, times (multiplier)
bèi
Left: person 人, right: spit 咅 (stand 立 with open mouth 口 and spit)
Persons often spit many-fold.  
HSK 4
proud, arrogant, to despise, unyielding, to defy
ào
Left: person 人, center top: abundance 丰 (= strongly growing plant with many branches 三), rest: release/let go 放 (In his side 方 he was striked 攵, until he released)
A person who is in abundance and lets things go, is: proud and arrogant.  
HSK 4
to pass on, to conduct (electricity), to transmit
chuán, zhuàn
Left: person 人, right: focussed 专/專 (The skier 专 in the downhill-squat with poles 二 in the hands is focussed)
A person has to be focussed when he wants to pass on sth.  
HSK 5
partner, companion, comrade
bàn
Left: person 人, right: half 半 (A knife 丨 cuts a birthday cake 二 with candles 丷 in half.)
A person is only half without a partner.  
HSK 5
custom, convention, popular, vulgar, coarse

Left: person 人, right: valley 谷 (Shows a valley that opens into a plain 口.)
People in the valleys have commonly coarse customs.  
HSK 5
remaining, extra, surplus

Top: a heap , bottom: Variant of show 示 (= This shows an altar 丁, with a sacrifice 一 and blood 八 dropping down.)
A heap on the altar shows that something is in excess.  
HSK 5
to order, to command, warrant
lìng
Top: lid , below: bent person 卩
A lid on the bent person: That's the order.  
HSK 5
to plan a project, company, to stand on tiptoe

Top: person 人, below: stop 止 (imprint of a right foot that stops at a line 一 )
(Better to prepare at ease/calmness:) The person should stop for planning the project.  
HSK 5
smart, eminent, handsome, talented
jùn
Left: person 人, right: dawdle 夋 (nose 厶, legs 儿, cross-legged 夂)
A person with such a nose, legs and contorted feet must be smart.  
HSK 5
to depend on, according to, rely on

Left: Person 人, right: clothes 衣
(Dress for success:) How the person dresses, it is depending on.  
HSK 5
to urge, to press, to prompt, to rush sb
cuī
Left: person 人, right: high mountain 崔 (=mountain 山 only for birds 隹)
Person want to the high mountains, where only birds are: Thereto, they are urged.  
HSK 5
to urge, urgent, to press (for action), hurried

Left: person 人, right: foot 足 (knee cap 口 and footprint 止)
A person uses the foot to urge (himself).  
HSK 5
spark, flickering, flash, lightning, to sprain
shǎn
Outside: gate 门/ 門, inside: person 人
When the person (jumped) through the gate, it happened quickly like a flash, and he sprained.  
HSK 5
near, approaching, to depend on
bàng
Left: person 人, right: one side, beside 旁 ([The servants] are in one direction 方 (side) of the emperor 帝 [modified]: at his side.)
The person approaching the emperor's side is near to him.  
HSK 5
to stretch, to extend
shēn
Left: person 人, right: say/tell 申 (here: two hands E 彐 pulling at sth. |
The persons with the hands pull to stretch it.  
HSK 6
immortal, god, supernatural entity
xiān
Left: person 人, right: mountain 山
A person like a mountain, that is: the immortal god!  
HSK 6
warehouse, barn, granary, cabin
cāng
Left: person 人, right: slumped person 㔾 (here: roll of fabric)
Under the pointed roof, a roll of cloth is in the warehouse.  
HSK 6
Confucius, scholar

Left: person 人, right: require, need 需 (Rain[water] 雨 on the beard 而 is needed [for care])
People need Confucianism. Or: The person in the rain with the (long) beard, is: Confucius.  
HSK 6
to invade, to encroach, to infringe, to approach
qīn
Left: person 人, right: variant of broom 帚 (hand holding a broom)[cf. to return 归, which was traditionally: 帰]
A person came to you (= where your broom is) and: invaded.  
HSK 6
if, supposing, in case
tǎng
Left: person 人, right: esteem, to value 尚 (A small 小 house 宀 with a window 口 is furthermore esteemed.)
This person should be respected, if ....  
HSK 6
biased, one-sided, prejudiced, inclined, slant
piān
Left: person 人, right: flat 扁 (Sliding doors 戸 and writing tablets 冊 are flat.)
(As if they had their fixed opinion on a sign around their neck:) People who are flat like a door plate are biased and one-sided.  
HSK 6
to admire, to face upward, to look up, to rely on
yǎng
Left: person 人, right: 卬 ([at the left] an odd person 人 bowing down 卩 deeply [at the right])
The person is odd but bows down deeply, because he: admires.  
HSK 6
to subdue, to conceal oneself, hibernation

Left: person 人, right: dog 犬 (The big 大 man holds in his arms: a dog 丶)
A person is like a dog, when he subdues.  
HSK 6
to insult, to ridicule, to disgrace

Left: person 人, right: each/often 每 (every person 人 = has a mother 母 [母 = breast-feeding woman 女 with emphasized bosom : ])
This is a person everybody wants to insult.  
no HSK
marquis, nobleman or high official
hóu
Left: person 人, right: 矦 (var. of bent person ⺈ and arrow 矢)
The person to whom another person with an arrow bows, is: a marquis.  
no HSK
I (northern dialects)
ǎn
Left: Person 人, right: suddenly 奄 (i.e. lighting strike: the big 大 electricity 电 comes suddenly) [electricity 电 = field 田 with lightning rod 乚]
(I boast to be full of energy:) The person with big electricity, that is me!  
no HSK
second amongst brothers, intermediate
zhòng
Left: person 人, right: middle/center 中
The person in the middle is (by age) the second (of the brothers).  
no HSK
bureaucrat, colleague, fellow-worker
liáo
Left: person 人, right: 尞 (big 大, out of 丷, day 日, small 小)
Someone who takes care of the big (things) as well as every day of the small is a bureaucrat.  
no HSK
civil servant, an official
shì
Left: person 人, right: scholar 士
A person must be a scholar to become a civil servant.  
no HSK
age, 7th of the 10 Heavenly Stems 十天干
gēng
广
Left: building 广, right: hand , person 人
In the building, a hand grasps a person with the question of: his age.  
no HSK
surname Tong
tóng
Left: person 人, right: winter 冬 (With an upturned foot 夂 on the ice 冫- it's winter.)
This person's name is: winter, Mr. Tong.  
no HSK
trick, scheme, skill, tactic, craft

Left: person 人, right: twig 支 (twig 十 and hand 又)
The person (balancing) a twig in the hand shows a skillful trick.  
no HSK
prisoner
qiú
Outside: enclosure 囗, inside: person 人
The person inside the enclosure is a prisoner.  
no HSK
drag, pull, to tow

(Due to the weight, the person 人 is deformed)
A person 人 with a heavy load 日 on the shoulders who is dragging or pulling.  
no HSK
arrange, (mountain range in Xinjiang)
lún
Top: person 人, bottom: sitting person 匕
When a person turns into a sitting person, he is well arranged.  
no HSK
heavy breathing, sound of escaping laughter, to water

Left: mouth 口, right: thicket, tedious 菐 (In hollow 业 things the orchid 兰 grows and the person 人 takes it out of the: thicket)
The sound (= what comes out of the mouth) when a tray 一 with things || is loaded onto a sheep 羊 that it goes to its knees 八 is a: heavy breath.  
no HSK
monk, Sangha, the Buddhist monastic order
sēng
Left: person 人, right: formerly 曾 (At rain 丷 on the field 田 as under the sun 日, that's how we worked formerly)
The person, who refers to the "formerly" is a monk.  
no HSK
garrison, to protect
shù
Mainly: halberd 戈, and at the left a person 人 (= ノ & 一) [cf. military 戎 = ten 十 halberds 戈]
The persons with the halberds form the garrison.  
no HSK
persist, continue (as a song)
gēng
广
Top: age, 7th Heavenly Stems 庚 (In the building 广 a hand grasps a person 人 with the question of: his age), bottom: money 贝/貝
If there are in the building three working (=they have hands) people with money, they can stay/persist (=continue)  
no HSK
unpolished gem

Left: king, jade 王, right: thicket, tedious 菐 (In hollow 业 things the orchid 兰 grows and the person 人 takes it out of the: thicket)
If the jade appears like in a 'thicket', it is still an: unpolished gemstone.  
no HSK
salary
fèng
Left: person 人, right: to offer (to superior) 奉 (Three 三 persons 人 stretch out hand 扌,手 respectfully for offering)
A person gives to three persons with open hands their: salary.  
no HSK
(flower) bud
bèi
Top: plant, grass 艹, bottom: (two, three ..)-fold 倍 (The persons 人 spit 咅 many-fold.)
The plant multiplies with the bud.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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