HSK · Level 74
60 words
Chinese word
族
Pronunciation
Pinyinzú
Meaning
- nounfamily
Example
节日那天，全族都回了老家。jié rì nà tiān quán zú dōu huí le lǎo jiā
On the festival day, the whole family went back to their hometown.
More examples
这位老者是这个族的长者。zhè wèi láo zhě shì zhè ge zú de zháng zhě
This elderly person is an elder of this clan.
Core concept
A group of people connected by shared lineage, identity, or a defining trait.
Common phrases
民族mín zú
ethnic group
家族jiā zú
family
一族yì zú
clan
Similar words
家族jiā zú: The close family members who live together as one household.
民族mín zú: A large group of people sharing a common culture, history, or ancestry.
家庭jiā tíng: The people who live together in the same home as one household.
亲属qīn shǔ: A relative connected to someone by blood or marriage.
Definition in Chinese
表示有共同血缘、氏族或共同特征的一群人，也常作为词缀表示具有某种共同身份、职业或爱好的人群。biǎo shì yǒu gòng tóng xuè yuán shì zú huò gòng tóng tè zhēng de yì qún rén yě cháng zuò wéi cí zhuì biǎo shì jù yǒu móu zhǒng gòng tóng shēn fèn zhí yè huò ài hào de rén qún
Word origin
The old clan sense of 族 (zú, "clan") provides the base for its modern suffix use, where a shared feature can define the group as well as shared blood.
Usage tips
- Modern Chinese uses this form productively for informal categories such as workers, hobbyists, or people with a particular lifestyle, not only for inherited social groups.