Chinese word

歌手

Pronunciation

Pinyingē shǒu

Meaning

  • nounsinger

Example

她想成为一名歌手。tā xiǎng chéng wéi yì míng gē shǒu

She wants to be a singer.

Illustration for 歌手 (singer)

More examples

他是一位著名的歌手，大家都很喜欢他。tā shì yí wèi zhù míng de gē shǒu dà jiā dōu hěn xǐ huān tā

He is a famous singer, and everyone likes him very much.

Core concept

A public music-maker whose main tool is the singing voice, reaching listeners through live shows, recordings, or broadcasts.

Common phrases

  • 成为一名歌手chéng wéi yì míng gē shǒu

    become a singer

  • 当歌手dāng gē shǒu

    be a singer

  • 著名的歌手zhù míng de gē shǒu

    famous singer

Similar words

歌唱家gē chàng jiā: A trained professional who earns a living through skilled singing.
歌星gē xīng: A well-liked entertainer whose main work is singing.
明星míng xīng: A widely known entertainer in film, music, or other public media.
演员yǎn yuán: A performer who acts as a character in a film or stage production.

Definition in Chinese

指以演唱为主要活动，通过舞台演出、录音或媒体表演向公众呈现歌曲的个人或艺术工作者。zhǐ yǐ yǎn chàng wéi zhǔ yào huó dòng tōng guò wǔ tái yǎn chū lù yīn huò méi tǐ biáo yǎn xiàng gōng zhòng chéng xiàn gē qǔ de gè rén huò yì shù gōng zuò zhě

Word origin

歌手 (gēshǒu, "singer") is formed from 歌 (gē, "song") + 手 (shǒu, "hand"), with 手 taking its extended sense of a skilled or active practitioner.

Usage tips

  • The word describes a role rather than a level of fame, so it can apply to a new performer as well as to a widely known one.

Related words

  • 男歌手nán gē shǒumale singernoun
  • 女歌手nǚ gē shǒufemale singernoun
  • 流行歌手liú xíng gē shǒupop singernoun

Word lists with this word