Language/Mandarin-chinese/Grammar/Describing-People-with-Suffixes-家-者-师-员-生-手

Chinese Suffixes for Describing People: 家， 者， 师， 员， 生 & 手

大家好! Hello Chinese learners! 😃

In today's lesson, we will be delving into the usage of several important Chinese suffixes, namely 家， 者， 师， 员， 生 and 手. Understanding these suffixes will help you better express yourself in Chinese and even enable you to identify the level of expertise of individuals based on their titles.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: 是...的, How to ask a question in Chinese, Questions & 二 (èr) versus 两 (liǎng).

Have you ever pondered over the abundance of suffixes used for people in Mandarin? For instance, why can we use "钢琴家" to refer to a pianist but not "吉他家" for a guitarist (which is referred to as "吉他手")? Moreover, what distinguishes the Chinese suffixes "家" and "手"? The truth is, each suffix has its own particular usage and comes with its own set of regulations and exceptions, making it impossible to simply choose one at will. In this lesson, I will elucidate the workings of each suffix, enabling you to articulate yourself more effectively in speech and even infer the level of expertise of an individual based solely on their title.

The suffix 生

The Chinese suffix "生" is used to denote individuals who are either pursuing education or engaging in activities related to their studies. For instance, "学生" means "student" and is formed by combining the verb "学" (to study) with the "生" suffix, which transforms it into a noun. Similarly, "实习生" breaks down into the word "internship" and the suffix denoting individuals, thereby creating the term "intern". It's worth noting that "生" is not solely limited to students, but extends to anyone who is acquiring knowledge or learning a new skill. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as "先生" (Mister) and "医生" (Doctor).

1. In 先生, the character 生 does not play the role of suffix. It is just part of the word sir. 
2. In 医生, the character 生 has nothing to do with studying something even if in medicine you have to study a lot, in fact it is an integral part of the word doctor. 

The suffix 师

The Chinese suffix "师" holds two distinct meanings. The first signifies a teacher or tutor, an individual who imparts knowledge to others. An example of this usage is the commonly known word "老师" (teacher). The connotation behind "师" suggests that the person is a master in their field and commands respect. In China, unlike in France where teachers are addressed as "sir," or in the United States where teachers are addressed by their first names, addressing a teacher as "老师" is required due to the respect embodied by the character "师."

Another example of this usage is "导师" (academic tutor), which refers to a tutor who guides students in their studies and imparts knowledge.

The second meaning of the "师" suffix pertains to professionals who have attained a high level of proficiency in a particular field. For instance, "工程师" (engineer) and "建筑师" (architect) embody this meaning and suggest technical expertise and mastery in a particular field. The dimension of respect also accompanies the character "师," as if engineers and architects must be revered to the same extent as teachers.

Moreover, it is common when you are an engineer or architect to train other people, such as interns, because like the professor or the academic tutor, you also have certain knowledge. 

This is also the reason why, when you want to talk to a professional in China, like a taxi driver for example, a very informal way to address him is by saying: 

• 师傅 

In 师傅 we also find the character 师. It's a respectful way of addressing a professional with respect.  

Therefore, when you talk to a bus driver, a taxi driver, or even a convenience store, in short any professional who helps you, you can address him by saying 师傅. 

The suffix 员

The Chinese suffix 员 also describes a professional, but this time in a sense of "being part of an organization or a crew". 

It's a bit like "staff" in English, meaning "a person who is part of a team". 

This is also the suffix in the word 服务员 (waiter).

服务 means "service" and 员 is the suffix "part of an organization". That's the word to shout in a Chinese restaurant if you want someone to come and serve you. 

You will also find this suffix in the word 

• 飞行员 (airplane pilot)

An airplane pilot is part of a crew along with the hostesses, the air traffic controllers etc…. 

The suffix 家

Moving on to the Chinese suffix "家," it signifies "professional" in the sense of an "expert," someone who has reached a level of proficiency that earns them the admiration and respect of their peers. This is a highly formal suffix and requires extensive academic training to attain expertise, thus not all professions can be designated as "家."

Examples of such professions include "科学家" (scientist) or "数学家" (mathematician). Unlike the "师" suffix, "家" denotes a level of proficiency above mastery, as scientists and mathematicians are typically highly educated and respected professions that command admiration in Chinese culture.

Additionally, artistic professions also commonly take the "家" suffix, such as "钢琴家" (pianist) or "艺术家" (artist). It's important to note that one cannot refer to oneself with the "家" suffix in Chinese culture, as modesty holds great importance.

However, there are two significant exceptions to the "家" suffix: "国家" (country) and "人家" (to be engaged with someone, to have a wife or a husband).

The suffix 手

The Chinese suffix 手 which basically describes all the professions in which you cannot put the suffixes that we saw just before.

For example if you are a guitarist, even obviously the guitar is much cooler than the piano, and in Chinese it will be said:

• 吉他手

You see in China a guitarist is not considered at the same level of prestige as a pianist, so you are not allowed to use the suffix 家. I know it's not fair but it's like that.

Same for singers, they are not allowed to use the suffix 家, and suddenly you will say:

• 歌手

Besides, the character 手 means "hand". It is used for professions related to your hability to use your hand(s) such as:

• 拳击手 (a boxer)

The suffix 者

This is the most difficult to use because of its many different uses.

The first use is to designate professions that convey a message or an opinion, for example:

• 笔者 (writers) or 记者 (journalist).

These professions convey an opinion, a message.

The second meaning is to designate a group of people who share a common characteristic such as: 

受害者 (a victim).

受害 means "to be the victim of something". If you add the Chinese suffixes 者, you mean a category of person who shares this characteristic, so "a victim".

Similarily with the word:

• 消费者 (a consumer)

You see here we have attached the suffix 者 to the word 消费 which means consumption. So we transformed the word consumption into a type of person who shares the characteristic of consuming, that is to say consumers.

Therefore, this suffix has a very broad spectrum of uses because you can hang it on lots of names or to turn them into a group of people who share common characteristics. 

Here is a little tips: you can take an adjective and add the suffix 主义 meaning "ideology". 

For example, the following adjective:

• 完美 (perfect) 

By adding the suffix 主义, it becomes: 

• 完美主义 (perfectionism)

Then if you add the suffix 者, you get: 

• 完美主义者 (perfectionists), ie a group of people who share the characteristic of perfectionism.

Do you see the logic? 

Another example: 

• 乐观 (optimist)
• 乐观主义 (optimism)
• 乐观主义者  (optimists)

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In conclusion, we have learned about several significant Chinese suffixes in this lesson, each with its unique connotations and areas of usage. The suffixes 生, 师, 员, 家, 手, and 者 all hold great importance in Chinese language and culture, signifying a level of expertise, respect, and admiration. By understanding the usage of these suffixes, we can better express ourselves in Chinese and even infer the level of expertise of individuals based on their titles.

It's important to remember that while these suffixes hold great significance in Chinese culture, modesty is also highly valued. Therefore, one cannot refer to oneself with certain suffixes, such as 家. We hope that this lesson has been informative and helpful, and we encourage you to continue your language-learning journey with our other lessons on various topics in the Chinese language.

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Be Polite
• Connect two nouns with 是 (shì)
• Use the verb 去 (qù)
• Conditional Mood
• Classifiers The Complete Guide
• 二 (èr) versus 两 (liǎng)
• Transition words
• Questions
• 呢 ne