peasant

[PEASANT]

英 ['peznt] 美 ['peznt]

n.农民

◉词源

“Peasant”源自15世纪英语，来自古法语 paisent（乡村居民），追溯至拉丁语 pagensis（乡下人），由 pagus（乡村、地区）衍生。最初指“居住在乡村的人”，后演变为名词，形容农业社会中的农民或地位较低的劳动者。

◉外刊例句

① 《经济学人》（The Economist），2024年10月5日

Peasants in the region protested against land reforms.

该地区的农民抗议土地改革。

② 《纽约时报》（The New York Times），2023年11月12日

The festival celebrated the traditions of peasant life.

节日庆祝了农民生活的传统。

③ 《卫报》（The Guardian），2025年1月8日

He dismissed his critics as peasants with no vision.

他将批评者贬为缺乏远见的粗人。

◉经典名著

①《坎特伯雷故事集》（The Canterbury Tales），杰弗里·乔叟（Geoffrey Chaucer），约1387-1400年

This carpenter hadde weddid newe a wyf, Which that he lovede moore than his lyf; Of eighteteene yeer she was of age. Jalous he was, and heeld hire narwe in cage, For she was yong, and he was old, And demed hymself been lik a cokewold. She was a peasant girl, simple and faire.

这个木匠新娶了一个妻子，他爱她胜过自己的生命；她年仅十八岁。他嫉妒心重，将她严加看管，因为她年轻，而他年老，总觉得自己像是被戴绿帽。她是个农家女孩，单纯而美丽。

② 《战争与和平》（War and Peace），列夫·托尔斯泰（Leo Tolstoy），1865-1869年

The peasants say that a cold wind blows in late spring because the oaks are budding.

农民们说，晚春时节刮冷风是因为橡树在发芽。

◉Usage Examples

(1) That night we put up in a peasant's home.

(2) It is the lament of an impoverished peasant.

(1) 那天晚上我们住在一个农民的家里。

(2) 它是一个已贫穷化的农民的哀词。

◉Usage Notes

If you enjoy reading tales set in the Middle Ages, you’ve probably encountered your fair share of knights, dragons, and peasants, or residents of the countryside.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, most members of the population were peasants who lived a meager existence, working farmland that was owned by wealthy noblemen. Peasant is still used sometimes today to describe a relatively poor person who works as a farm laborer. Peasant can also be used to mean “an unsophisticated and ill-mannered person,” so when using this word, be sure your intended meaning is clear.

◉柯林斯词典

1[N-COUNT 可数名词]农民 A peasant is a poor person of low social status who works on the land； used of people who live in countries where farming is still a common way of life. [oft supp N]

① ...the peasants in the Peruvian highlands...

秘鲁高地的农民

② Chinese peasants farm their own plots.

中国农民在他们自己的土地上耕作。