人物 rénwù person
person; personage; figure (especially somebody of importance); character (in a play, novel etc); (genre of traditional Chinese painting) figure painting
How to remember 人物: 人 person + 物 thing = person.
Characters
How it is used
- Two key senses: (1) a character in a story - 小说人物 (xiǎoshuō rénwù) a novel's characters; (2) a notable figure - 大人物 (dà rénwù) a big shot.
- Also a genre: 人物画 (rénwù huà) figure painting.
- Contrast plain 人 (rén, person) - 人物 implies someone of significance or a defined role/persona.