Chinese word

陌生人

Pronunciation

Pinyinmò shēng rén

Meaning

  • nounstranger

Example

我不想和陌生人讲话。wǒ bù xiǎng hé mò shēng rén jiǎng huà

I don't want to talk to strangers.

Illustration for 陌生人 (stranger)

More examples

不要随便把地址告诉陌生人。bú yào suí biàn bǎ dì zhǐ gào sù mò shēng rén

Do not casually give your address to strangers.

Core concept

A person who is outside the network of people one knows personally.

Common phrases

  • 不要随便相信陌生人bú yào suí biàn xiāng xìn mò shēng rén

    do not trust strangers easily

  • 不要接受陌生人的东西bú yào jiē shòu mò shēng rén de dōng xī

    do not accept things from strangers

Similar words

不认识的人bú rèn shí de rén: A person whose name and personal information are unknown because no meeting has occurred.
路人lù rén: A person seen passing by who has no connection with the people or event nearby.

Definition in Chinese

指与自己不认识或不熟悉、没有交往或联系的人。zhǐ yǔ zì jǐ bú rèn shí huò bù shú xī méi yǒu jiāo wǎng huò lián xì de rén

Word origin

陌生人 (mòshēngrén, "stranger") is built from the established word 陌生 (mòshēng, "unfamiliar") and 人 (rén, "person"), so its form identifies an unfamiliar human being.

Usage tips

  • The word describes a lack of personal familiarity rather than nationality, so someone from the same town or school can fit it.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word