3

I have read that 者 can be used as "... one who ...", for example

I met a X, one who is a Y.

Is that right? If yes, what would be the translation of "I met a X, one who is a Y"?

|improve this question
  • 1
    users would like to lodge a protest against deletion of 2 comments, the 1st of which earned a positive evaluation (1), the 2nd was in answer to a question by OP, comments differed essentially from answers, raising points not covered by answers,there seems to be a superuser justifying deletion by saying comment not helpful which seems to be contradicted by OP's reaction, also superuser mentions comment being flagged,if there is flagging why do users not learn about it (does it take place outside public domain?) – user6065 Mar 10 '19 at 18:07
  • Thanks for the feedback, @user6065. If you have questions or suggestions about how the community treats comments, please post a question on the meta site. – Don Kirkby♦ Mar 11 '19 at 4:55
  • I'm so sorry, @user6065. My first comment was intended for you, suggesting we move this discussion to the meta site. My second comment was intended for julian, and I wrote the wrong name. I did not think you were being funny. Sorry to add confusion. sigh – Don Kirkby♦ Mar 11 '19 at 17:38
  • (OK, reposting this comment with the corrected user.) I assume you were being funny, @julian, but tone is hard to read through text. Your comment might also sound unwelcoming, so please try to avoid that. – Don Kirkby♦ Mar 11 '19 at 17:41
2

者

英文翻譯: that which; he who; those who

《禮記·檀弓上》
遂命子貢為之主，曰：「為爾哭也來者，拜之。」

Accordingly he ordered Zi-gong to act as presiding mourner on the occasion, saying to him, 'Bow to those who come because you have a wailing in your house.'

之 in 拜之 is a pronoun which represents 來者.

I think it is usually used in the classical Chinese (文言文).

|improve this answer
2

者:

the person/people who; he who; those who; that which

者 is the literary counterpart of the colloquial "的人" or "的" (pronoun)

The usage of "者" compare to English "he who" , "those who"

  • English: [pronoun] + [who (used to introduce a clause giving further information about a person or people previously mentioned.)] + [descriptive clause]

  • Chinese: [descriptive clause] + [者 pronoun] (used to indicate the clause before it is a description of the pronoun '者')

Example:

  • English: [those] + [who] + [borrowed money from Mr.K (descriptive clause)]

  • Literary Chinese: [向 Mr.K借钱 (descriptive clause)] + [者]

  • Colloquial Chinese: [向 Mr.K借钱 (descriptive clause)] + [的人]

者 is also a common component that turn nouns or verbs into compound word nouns

Examples:

作 = create; 作者 = author

記 = to record; 記者 = reporter

死 = dead; 死者 = the deceased

學 = to learn; 學者 = scholar

弱 = weak; 弱者 = weakling

侍 = to serve; 侍者 = waiter

讀 = read; 讀者 = reader

|improve this answer
2

That is classical Chinese.

Some examples:

师者, 传道授业解惑也---韩愈. This is a famous quote, frequently used when people talk about teachers and students.

Translation:

A teacher, [is a person] who passes down the Dao, imparts professional knowledge and resolves doubt.

I found that translation in this doc:

Similar usage:

窃谓夫为将者：能去能就，能柔能刚；能进能退，能弱能强。 -- 诸葛亮

为将者不通天文、不懂地理、不晓阴阳、不知奇门遁甲及阵图兵势，乃庸才也 -- 诸葛亮

凡为将者，知过于人，则能制人。--锺繇

Sometimes people want to use it intentionally to make the sentence sounds special.

楼主者, 发贴首也.

OP is the person who post the first message in a threads.

为球员者, 当以团队第一.

The one who as football player should treat the team first.

|improve this answer
  • In 「师者，传道授业解惑也」, 者 usage is different from the three sentences below. Here 者 and 也 comprise 者…也 「判断」usage. – Toosky Hierot Mar 10 '19 at 15:00
  • I don't know the difference. – Jacob Mar 10 '19 at 16:06
  • Which means here 者 functions as a pause. It would be ok as 师，传道授业解惑者也 or 师，传道授业解惑也 – Toosky Hierot Mar 10 '19 at 17:00

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.