证件 zhèngjiàn certificate
certificate; papers; credentials; document; ID
How to remember 证件: 证 prove + 件 measure word for clothes and items = certificate.
Characters
How it is used
- Formal, official term for identification documents collectively - ID card, passport, permit, etc.
- 请出示证件 (qǐng chūshì zhèngjiàn) - please show your ID, heard constantly at security checks, hotels, and banks.
- 证件 is a collective/umbrella term; a specific document is named separately, e.g. 身份证 (shēnfènzhèng, ID card) or 护照 (hùzhào, passport).
- 件 here works as a general classifier-like element for "items/pieces", so 证件 literally reads as "proof items".
Example sentences
- 我的证件丢了。 Wǒ de zhèngjiàn diū le.I lost my papers.