人 rén
- Strokes
- 2
- Radical
- 人 — man, person
- How it's built
- Pictograph — a drawing of the thing
人质
rénzhì
hostage
Characters in this word
质 zhì
- Strokes
- 8
- Radical
- 厂 — cliff
- How it's built
- Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound
Example phrases
- 谈判人员首先要确保人质安全，而不是急于展示强硬姿态。 Tánpàn rényuán shǒuxiān yào quèbǎo rénzhì ānquán, ér bù shì jíyú zhǎnshì qiángyìng zītài. Negotiators must first ensure the safety of the hostages rather than rush to display a tough stance.
- 警察耐心地和对方谈判，希望能安全救出人质。 Jǐngchá nàixīn de hé duìfāng tánpàn, xīwàng néng ānquán jiù chū rénzhì. The police patiently negotiated with the other side, hoping to rescue the hostage safely.
- 电视新闻说，所有人质在昨天晚上都被释放了。 Diànshì xīnwén shuō, suǒyǒu rénzhì zài zuótiān wǎnshang dōu bèi shìfàng le. The TV news said that all the hostages were released yesterday evening.