运动员

• Pinyin: yùn dòng yuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 运 = 辶 + 云, to move; 动 = 重 + 力, to move; 员 = 口 (mouth) + 贝 (shell), member or person

Meaning

Athlete; sportsperson. A person who trains in and competes in sports, either professionally or as a dedicated amateur.

In Chinese, 运动员 covers both professional and amateur athletes. 职业运动员 means professional athlete, and 业余运动员 means amateur. 运动员精神 refers to sportsmanship. Fans sometimes affectionately call their favourite athletes by their surname plus a suffix.

Examples

1. 这位年轻的运动员在国际赛场上连续三次夺得冠军，令人赞叹。 This young athlete won the championship three consecutive times on the international stage, which is truly impressive.
2. 职业运动员每天需要进行大量高强度的体能和技术训练。 Professional athletes need to undergo large amounts of high-intensity physical and technical training every day.
3. 她从小就梦想成为一名专业游泳运动员，为此付出了无数努力。 She has dreamed of becoming a professional swimmer since childhood and has put in countless hours of effort towards that goal.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他是一名优秀的篮球运动员，在国内外都有很高的知名度。(He is an outstanding basketball athlete, well known both domestically and internationally.)
• 这名运动员的训练非常刻苦，令教练十分满意。(This athlete trains very hard, and the coach is very pleased.)

Don't Say

• 将'运动员'用于普通爱好运动的人 (Avoid using 运动员 casually to describe anyone who enjoys exercise — it implies a dedicated, trained competitor; use 运动爱好者 for someone who simply likes sport as a hobby)

Origin & History

A compound of 运动 (sport/exercise) and 员 (person/member; 口 mouth + 贝 shell, originally denoting a counted member). Together they mean a person engaged in sport.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal