臣(chén)
Origin:
本义是“奴隶”。他们在主人面前往往不敢抬头,而当人低下头的时候,眼睛看起来成了竖立的样子。古人就用眼睛的这个状态造了“臣”字。
The character’s original meaning is “slave.” Slaves dared not raise their heads in front of their masters, and their eyes pointed straight ahead when they lowered their heads. Thus, ancient writers created “臣” to resemble their eyes.
Meaning:
official under a feudal ruler
Words:
大臣(dàchén): minister (of a monarchy)
臣妾(chénqiè): female servant
奸臣(jiānchén): treacherous court official; court traitor
臣服(chénfú): to submit oneself to the rule of; to acknowledge one’s allegiance to
Sentences:
1、Qínhuì shì ZhōngGuó lìshǐ shàng zhùmíng de jiānchén zhī yī.
秦桧是中国历史上著名的奸臣之一。
秦桧是中国历史上著名的奸臣之一。
Qin Hui is one of the notorious court traitors in Chinese history.
2、Hěnduō guójiā dōu chénfú yú zhège qiángdà dìguó de tǒngzhì xià.
很多国家都臣服于这个强大帝国的统治下。
很多国家都臣服于这个强大帝国的统治下。
Many countries submitted themselves to the rule of this powerful empire.