兵 (bīng): soldier; troops

Measure Word

一名兵 míng

Originally depicted two hands holding a weapon — the meaning shifted from "weapon" to "soldier who carries weapons."

Tā dāng le sān nián bīng.

He served as a soldier for three years.

Bīngmǎyǒng shì Zhōngguó zuì yǒumíng de gǔjì zhī yī.

The Terracotta Warriors are one of China's most famous historical sites.

culture

当兵 (dāng bīng) means 'to serve in the military'. In Chinese chess (象棋), 兵 is the pawn piece on the red side (the black side's pawn is called 卒 zú).

兵 bīng