(mò shēng rén) - stranger in Mandarin
mòshēngrénTraditional: 陌生人
Translation
stranger
Word origin
陌 (mò) was a path between fields and 生 (shēng) means raw or unfamiliar, so 陌生 is unfamiliar and a 陌生人 is an unfamiliar person.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 陌生 (mò shēng, unfamiliar) + 人 (rén, person)
Stroke order
陌
生
人
Examples
。
Do not go off with strangers.
敲。
A stranger knocked at the door.
。
She is polite even to strangers.
。
Several strangers were sitting in the room.
。
We went from strangers to friends.
陌生人 (mò shēng rén) is a stranger: someone you do not know, not a foreigner and not a guest. It is the word in the warning every Chinese child hears, 不要跟陌生人说话.
The useful part is the 陌生 inside it, an adjective meaning unfamiliar that attaches to places and feelings as well as people: 这个城市对我很陌生, this city feels strange to me. Its opposite is 熟悉, familiar, and the pair turns up constantly in writing about moving house or changing jobs.
The trap is the English word "strange". 陌生 never means odd or peculiar; that is 奇怪. A 陌生的声音 is a voice you do not recognise, while a 奇怪的声音 is a noise that worries you.
Where this fits
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Go to my review queueMandarin · Free printables
陌生人: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "陌生人" (stranger): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 47.