刺客

cìkè

noun #8,805

Measure Word

一名刺客 míng

Meanings

1 assassin
2 hired killer

Characters

to stab; to prick; thorn

guest; visitor; person engaged in an activity

Stabber + person — one whose profession is assassination.

Examples

那个刺客被当场抓住了。

Nàge cìkè bèi dāngchǎng zhuāzhù le.

The assassin was caught on the spot.

历史上有很多著名的刺客。

Lìshǐ shàng yǒu hěn duō zhùmíng de cìkè.

There are many famous assassins in history.

他在游戏里扮演一个刺客。

Tā zài yóuxì lǐ bànyǎn yī gè cìkè.

He plays an assassin in the game.

Tips

history

The most famous Chinese assassins come from the Warring States period. Sima Qian's 《史记》 (Records of the Grand Historian) has a dedicated chapter called 《刺客列传》 (Biographies of Assassins), featuring Jing Ke (荆轲) who attempted to assassinate the King of Qin.

usage

In modern Chinese, 刺客 is common in gaming (assassin class), movies, and historical contexts. For a modern-day hired killer, 杀手 (shāshǒu) is more common.

In Pop Culture

刺客信条 Cìkè Xìntiáo

Assassin's Creed

Ubisoft video game franchise

Stroke Order

刺 cì

客 kè