Kilo Lingo

(míng rén) - celebrity in Mandarin

míngrén

Traditional: 名人

Line drawing of 名人
Coloured illustration of 名人
#5551 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

celebrity

Stroke order

Stroke order for 名

Stroke order for 人

Examples

She is a celebrity.

Many celebrities visit this restaurant.

His childhood dream was to become a celebrity.

This magazine specialises in reporting on celebrities' lives.

You rarely run into celebrities on the street.

名人 (míngrén) is "celebrity" or "famous person", built from 名 (míng), "name, fame", and 人 (rén), "person". A 名人 (míngrén) is literally someone whose name everyone knows.

It covers the same ground as the English word: actors, singers, sportspeople, even well-known businesspeople all get called 名人 (míngrén). It sits close to 明星 (míngxīng), "star", but 明星 (míngxīng) leans towards performers and entertainers specifically, while 名人 (míngrén) is the broader umbrella term.

Watch the tone on 名 (míng), which is level (second tone) rather than falling. Mixing it up with 命 (mìng), "life, fate", is a common beginner slip, though context almost always saves you.

Where this fits

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Mandarin · Free printables

名人: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "名人" (celebrity): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 109.