征夫

zhēngfū
noun

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 traveler on a long journey
  2. 2 soldier on a campaign
  3. 3 conscripted laborer

Examples

HSK 7-9
Gǔshī zhōng chángyǒu zhēngfū sīxiāng de miáoxiě.
Classical poetry often describes soldiers far from home longing for it.
HSK 7-9
Zhēngfū líjiā, qīzi zài chuāng qián pàn guī.
The conscript left home, and his wife waited at the window for his return.

Tips

register
Strongly literary and classical. Appears throughout Tang and Song poetry as a stock figure, the soldier or laborer pulled away from home, often paired with the 思妇 ('waiting wife') motif. Not used in modern speech.

Stroke Order

zhēng