主人 zhǔrén master
master; host; owner
How to remember 主人: 主 lord + 人 person = master.
Characters
How it is used
- Pairs with 客人 (guest) - the person hosting is 主人, the one visiting is 客人.
- Also means owner, especially of a pet or property: 狗的主人 (the dog's owner), 主人不在家.
- In older or formal contexts it can mean master of a servant, but in daily modern use it is mostly host or owner.
Example sentences
- 你才是自己命运的主人。 Nǐ cái shì zìjǐ mìngyùn de zhǔrén.You're the master of your own destiny.
- 没有人明白为什么大象突然攻击了它的主人。 Méiyǒu rén míngbái wèishénme dàxiàng tūrán gōngjī le tā de zhǔrén.Nobody understood why the elephant suddenly turned on its owner.