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particle / suffix HSK 4
zhě
person who (does something) · one who · -er (nominalizing suffix) · classical particle

Meaning

者 is a classical Chinese particle that transforms verbs or adjectives into nouns, meaning 'person who' or 'thing that.' It's commonly used in formal or written Chinese to create agent nouns, similar to adding '-er' or '-ist' in English. In modern usage, it often appears in compound words and formal contexts.

Usage

In contemporary Mandarin, 者 is primarily used in formal writing, news, academic texts, and set compounds. It's rarely used alone in casual speech. Common in phrases like 记者 (journalist), 学者 (scholar), and 读者 (reader). Native speakers associate it with a formal or literary register.

Examples

  1. 01
    这本书的作者是一位著名的学者。
    Zhè běn shū de zuò zhě shì yí wèi zhùmíng de xué zhě.
    The author of this book is a famous scholar.
  2. 02
    记者们正在采访事件的目击者。
    Jì zhě men zhèngzài cǎifǎng shìjiàn de mùjī zhě.
    The reporters are interviewing the eyewitnesses of the incident.

Common collocations

  • 记者
    jì zhě
    journalist, reporter
  • 学者
    xué zhě
    scholar
  • 读者
    dú zhě
    reader
  • 作者
    zuò zhě
    author

Origin

者 originally depicted a person speaking or someone in authority in oracle bone script. In classical Chinese, it served as a nominalizing particle and demonstrative pronoun. Its modern usage as a suffix creating agent nouns developed from its classical function.

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