Chinese word

青少年

Pronunciation

Pinyinqīng shào nián

Meaning

  • nounyoung person

Example

学校应该给青少年更多展示才华的机会。xué xiào yīng gāi gěi qīng shào nián gèng duō zhǎn shì cái huá de jī huì

Schools should give young people more opportunities to show their talents.

Illustration for 青少年 (young person)

More examples

很多青少年参加课外活动。hěn duō qīng shào nián cān jiā kè wài huó dòng

Many young people take part in extracurricular activities.

Core concept

One broad band of young people stretches from childhood into early adult life.

Common phrases

  • 青少年活动qīng shào nián huó dòng

    youth activities

  • 青少年问题qīng shào nián wèn tí

    youth problems

Similar words

青年qīng nián: Young people near the start of independent work and adult life.
年轻人nián qīng rén: Young adults and other young people grouped broadly in everyday speech.
少年shào nián: A school-age young person who is still close to childhood.

Definition in Chinese

泛指处于成长期的年轻人，既可指未成年的孩子，也可指初入社会的青年，使用时语体偏向书面与正式。fàn zhǐ chǔ yú chéng zhǎng qī de nián qīng rén jì kě zhǐ wèi chéng nián de hái zi yě kě zhǐ chū rù shè huì de qīng nián shǐ yòng shí yú tǐ piān xiàng shū miàn yǔ zhèng shì

Word origin

The compound 青 (qīng, "youthful") + 少年 (shàonián, "young person") uses 青 as a traditional sign of youth before naming a young person, creating a term for a wide age group.

Usage tips

  • In school and community notices, this word often comes before topics such as education, health, rights, and activities, making it useful for identifying a group without naming one exact age.

Other meanings

  • young adultnoun
  • boynoun
  • younger generationnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 青少年时期qīng shào nián shí qīadolescencenoun

Word lists with this word