黔首

qiánshǒu

noun

Meanings

1 (archaic) the common people
2 the masses (esp. in Qin dynasty texts)

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

古书中常用黔首指代普通百姓。

Gǔshū zhōng cháng yòng qiánshǒu zhǐdài pǔtōng bǎixìng.

Ancient texts often use 'qianshou' to refer to ordinary people.

HSK 7-9

秦始皇统一天下后称百姓为“黔首”。

Qín Shǐhuáng tǒngyī tiānxià hòu chēng bǎixìng wéi " qiánshǒu ".

After unifying the empire, Qin Shi Huang called the common people 'qianshou.'

Tips

history

Literally 'black heads' - 黔 (black) + 首 (head). The Qin 秦 commoners wore black headscarves, distinguishing them from the colored caps of officials. Qin Shi Huang officially adopted 黔首 as the term for the populace in 221 BCE, as recorded in the 《史记·秦始皇本纪》.

Stroke Order

黔 qián

首 shǒu