Meaning of 孙子
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- grandson
- son's son
- Sun Tzu, also known as Sun Wu 孫武|孙武[Sun1 Wu3] (c. 500 BC, dates of birth and death uncertain), general, strategist and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period (700-475 BC), believed to be the author of the “Art of War” 孫子兵法|孙子兵法[Sun1 zi3 Bing1 fa3], one of the Seven Military Classics of ancient China 武經七書|武经七书[Wu3 jing1 Qi1 shu1]
How to use 孙子
孙子 (sūnzi) means your son's son. A daughter's son is usually called 外孙 (wàisūn). Example: 他的孙子今年五岁。 (Tā de sūnzi jīnnián wǔ suì.) His grandson is five this year.
孙 (sūn) is made of 子 (zǐ, child) and 小 (xiǎo, small), so a grandson is the small child of your child. Add the noun suffix 子 (zi) and you get 孙子 (sūnzi), grandson.
Common mistake: The second syllable changes meaning. For grandson it is neutral tone zi (sūnzi), but for the strategist Sun Tzu it is full third tone zǐ (Sūnzǐ), as in 孙子兵法 (Sūnzǐ Bīngfǎ).
孙子 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
孙 sūn · grandchild · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
子 zi · noun suffix · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 孙子.
Questions about 孙子
What does 孙子 mean?
孙子 (sūnzi) means "grandson; son's son" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 孙子?
孙子 is made of 2 characters: 孙 (6 strokes), 子 (3 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 孙子 an HSK word?
Yes. 孙子 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 孙子 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 孙子 is written 孫子.
How do you say granddaughter in Chinese?
A son's daughter is 孙女 (sūnnǚ). A daughter's daughter is 外孙女 (wàisūnnǚ).
Can 孙子 be used as an insult?
Yes. In casual, rude speech, calling someone 孙子 treats them as lower in the family, a bit like calling them a coward. Avoid using it this way with people you do not know well.