员

• Pinyin: yuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 员 = 口 (mouth) + 贝 (shell/money), simplified from 員; originally depicted a round object, later used for 'member'

Meaning

A suffix meaning 'member' or 'person who does something.' Used to form job titles and role names, as in 服务员 (waiter), 演员 (actor), 会员 (member).

One of the most productive suffixes in Chinese for forming nouns referring to people with specific roles. Common compounds: 服务员 (waiter/waitress), 演员 (performer), 教员 (instructor), 队员 (team member), 会员 (member), 公务员 (civil servant).

Examples

1. 服务员，请给我一杯水。 Waiter, please give me a glass of water.
2. 她是一名优秀的运动员。 She is an outstanding athlete.
3. 公司需要招聘新员工。 The company needs to recruit new employees.

Usage Guide

Context: work, titles, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 服务员，买单！(Waiter, the bill please!)
• 他是国家队的队员。(He is a member of the national team.)

Don't Say

• 她是一个学习员。(Not all nouns can take 员 — there is no word 学习员; use established compounds like 学员 (trainee) instead)

Origin & History

Simplified from 員, which originally depicted a round vessel. Later extended to mean a person in a group or role, functioning as a suffix for occupations and memberships.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal