运动员 (yùndòngyuán) · athlete

运动员 (yùndòngyuán) means “athlete”. It is written with 3 characters: 运 (to run) + 动 (to move) + 员 (member). It is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

How 运动员 is built

The characters

运 yùn · to run

What 运 is made of

辶 — walking, moving
云yún — (classical) to say
- 二 — two strokes
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
- 厶sī — private

Origin hint: 辶 gives the meaning, 云 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

动 dòng · to move

What 动 is made of

云yún — cloud
- 二 — two strokes
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
- 厶sī — private
力lì — strength
- 丿 — falling stroke

Origin hint: strength (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

员 yuán · member

What 员 is made of

口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
贝bèi — sea shell
- 冂 — frame
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
- 人rén — person

Origin hint: money (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

他是一名游泳运动员。Tā shì yī míng yóuyǒng yùndòngyuán.He is a swimmer.

运动员们都准备好了吗？Yùndòngyuánmen dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?Are all the athletes ready?

Questions about 运动员

What does 运动员 mean?

运动员 (yùndòngyuán) means “athlete”.

How do you pronounce 运动员?

运动员 is pronounced yùndòngyuán.

Which HSK level is 运动员?

运动员 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 4 (2021).

Related words

Learn 运动员 with its group

It is part of HSK 4 (2021) · Group 19: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

Open the group