古人

gǔ rén

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Noun Uncommon

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Definitions

1. people of ancient times
2. the ancients
3. extinct human species such as Homo erectus or Homo neanderthalensis
4. (literary) deceased person

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 今人 jīn rén 今人 jīn rén modern people people of modern times: modern people

Synonyms

2 items

• 先人 xiān rén 先人 xiān rén ancestors people of ancient times: ancestors
• 前人 qián rén 前人 qián rén predecessor people of ancient times: predecessor

Usage notes

Collocations

Often appears with 云 (as in 古人云) in formal writing, meaning 'as the ancients said'.

Formality

Used in formal or literary contexts to refer to people of ancient times or the deceased; avoid in casual speech where '以前的人' is preferred.

Example Sentences

1 shown

古人 很早就发明了造纸术。

The ancients invented papermaking very early on.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 古人

• 前无古人 前无古人 qián wú gǔ rén: (idiom) unprecedented
• 前不见古人，后不见来者 前不见古人，后不见来者 qián bù jiàn gǔ rén , hòu bù jiàn lái zhě: unique
• 前无古人，后无来者 前无古人，后无来者 qián wú gǔ rén , hòu wú lái zhě: there has never been and never will be another person like this (idiom)
• 古人类 古人类 gǔ rén lèi: ancient human species such as Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis
• 古人类学 古人类学 gǔ rén lèi xué: paleoanthropology
• 替古人担忧 替古人担忧 tì gǔ rén dān yōu: to fret over the worries of long-departed people (idiom); to worry unnecessarily
• 替古人耽忧 替古人耽忧 tì gǔ rén dān yōu: to fret over the worries of long-departed people (idiom); to worry unnecessarily
• 蒙古人 蒙古人 měng gǔ rén: Mongol
• 蒙古人民共和国 蒙古人民共和国 měng gǔ rén mín gòng hé guó: People's Republic of Mongolia (from 1924)

Child Words of 古人

• 人 人 rén: person; people
• 古 古 gǔ: ancient