Chinese word

友人

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǒu rén

Meaning

  • nounfriend

Example

他是我的友人。tā shì wǒ de yǒu rén

He is my friend.

Illustration for 友人 (friend)

More examples

她把我的友人当作家人一样对待。tā bǎ wǒ de yǒu rén dàng zuò jiā rén yí yàng duì dài

She treated my friend like family.

Core concept

Someone linked through personal goodwill, friendship, or companionship, with wording that sounds polished and somewhat literary.

Common phrases

  • 值得信赖的友人zhí de xìn lài de yǒu rén

    trusted friend

  • 交心的友人jiāo xīn de yǒu rén

    close friend

Similar words

朋友péng yǒu: The usual everyday term for a friend.
熟人shú rén: Someone familiar through personal contact, without implying close friendship.
密友mì yǒu: A trusted friend with a particularly close relationship.

Definition in Chinese

指与自己有交往或情谊的人，语气比口语的“朋友”更正式或文雅，常用于介绍或书面表达。zhǐ yǔ zì jǐ yǒu jiāo wǎng huò qíng yì de rén yǔ qì bǐ kóu yǔ de péng yǒu gēng zhèng shì huò wén yǎ cháng yòng yú jiè shào huò shū miàn biǎo dá

Word origin

友 (yǒu, "friend") + 人 (rén, "person") combines to mean a person linked by a friendly relationship.

Usage tips

  • English uses friend broadly in casual speech, but 友人 (yǒurén, "friend") can sound deliberate in Chinese, making it useful when introducing someone or writing about a relationship.

Other meanings

  • acquaintancenoun
  • companionnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word