志愿兵

志願兵

zhìyuànbīng

noun #30,255

Measure Word

一名志愿兵 míng

Meanings

1 volunteer soldier
2 career enlisted serviceman (in the PLA system)

Characters

will; aspiration

willing; to wish

Examples

他十八岁就报名当了志愿兵。

Tā shíbā suì jiù bàomíng dāng le zhìyuànbīng.

He signed up as a volunteer soldier at eighteen.

志愿兵服役期满后可以选择留队。

Zhìyuànbīng fúyì qī mǎn hòu kěyǐ xuǎnzé liú duì.

Volunteer soldiers can choose to stay on after their service term ends.

Tips

history

Most famous historical reference: 中国人民志愿军 (Zhōngguó Rénmín Zhìyuànjūn), the "Chinese People's Volunteer Army" that fought in the Korean War (1950-1953) — though that uses 军 (army), not 兵 (soldier). In the modern PLA, 志愿兵 contrasts with 义务兵 (yìwùbīng, conscript): volunteers serve longer and become NCOs, while conscripts serve a fixed two-year term.

Stroke Order

志 zhì

愿 yuàn

兵 bīng