民间 mínjiān among the people
among the people; popular; folk; non-governmental; involving people rather than governments
How to remember 民间: 民 citizens + 间 room = among the people.
Characters
How it is used
- Folk/among the people/non-governmental - 民间故事 (mínjiān gùshi) folk tales, 民间组织 (mínjiān zǔzhī) non-governmental organizations, 民间借贷 (mínjiān jièdài) private lending.
- Two threads: 'folk/traditional' (originating with the people) and 'non-official/private' (as opposed to government).
- Contrast 官方 (guānfāng, official/governmental); 民间 is the grassroots/private sphere.