恩客

ēnkè

noun #54,421

Measure Word

一位恩客 wèi

Meanings

1 a prostitute's regular client
2 patron of a courtesan (traditional euphemism)

Characters

kindness / favor

guest / customer

Examples

HSK 7-9

她有一位常来的恩客，出手阔绰。

Tā yǒu yī wèi cháng lái de ēnkè, chūshǒu kuòchuo.

She had a regular patron who came often and spent freely.

HSK 7-9

小说里那个名妓终于和她最钟情的恩客私奔了。

Xiǎoshuō lǐ nàge míngjì zhōngyú hé tā zuì zhōngqíng de ēnkè sībēn le.

In the novel, the famous courtesan finally eloped with the patron she had loved most.

Tips

register

A literary euphemism - 恩 'kindness' + 客 'guest', framing the client as a 'benefactor'. Standard in classical fiction and historical drama (think 《杜十娘》 or 《海上花列传》); rarely used in everyday modern speech, where the term is 嫖客 (piáokè) - much more direct and pejorative.

Stroke Order

恩 ēn

客 kè