8Apr/103
Can Do People
Yesterday while attending my first yoga class in well over a year, my teacher kept using the term huiyuan to signify those- not me- who were able to do the positions properly. The term appears to me to be a combination of 会 and 员, literally 'can person'. Yet when checking on Wenlin the term 会员 has only one meaning: member.
Does anyone know whether this is an actual term, or was my teacher simply making words up on the spot? In any case I found it a clever use of the language, and aspire to be a yoga 'can person' myself.
April 9th, 2010 - 09:52
会员 means member, 会 = 组织/机构, 员 = 人员, it’s a combination word.
It’s weird to use this word to describe someone that can do something..
April 27th, 2010 - 14:06
In a situation like that, the instructor will usually address the students as “member”, as in “this member here is doing very well”. Are you sure that’s not the case?
April 27th, 2010 - 17:58
In retrospect, I think that’s exactly it.