小卒

xiǎozú

noun HSK 7 #30,958

Measure Word

一名小卒 míng

Meanings

1 pawn (in chess)
2 foot soldier; minor figure

Characters

foot soldier; pawn

Literally 'small soldier' — the lowest-ranking piece in Chinese chess.

Examples

在这个公司里，我只是个小卒。

Zài zhège gōngsī lǐ, wǒ zhǐshì ge xiǎozú.

In this company, I'm just a small fry.

他不过是个无名小卒。

Tā búguò shì ge wúmíng xiǎozú.

He's nothing but an unknown nobody.

Tips

usage

无名小卒 (wúmíng xiǎozú, 'nameless pawn') is a common set phrase meaning a nobody or an insignificant person. It's often used self-deprecatingly.

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo

卒 zú