peasant

/ˈpeznt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpeznt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpe-zᵊnt/ (ame, mw)

peasant — 名詞

  • peasantsingular
  • peasantsplural

1. a poor farmer, especially in older societies or less wealthy regions, who lives

1.名詞C1
釋義

貧農；小農

尤指舊時或貧國的窮苦農民

a poor farmer, especially in older societies or less wealthy regions, who lives by working a very small area of land.

例句

Medieval peasants paid part of their wheat harvest to the local lord.

中世紀的貧農得把部分小麥收成交給當地領主。

historical setting: peasants under a lord

The novel follows a peasant family through one hard winter.

這部小說描寫一戶小農人家如何度過艱難的冬天。

common phrase: a peasant family

同義詞
  • farmer

    the broad neutral word for someone who grows crops or keeps animals

  • smallholder

    stresses owning or using a very small farm, without the strong class sense

  • tenant farmer

    specifically a farmer who rents land from someone else

反義詞
  • landowner

    someone who owns the land rather than working it as a poor farmer

  • lord

    in historical contexts, a higher social rank above peasants

文法句型

a peasant family

peasants work the land

poor peasants in + place/time

用法筆記

Usually used for historical societies or for very poor rural communities, not for modern farmers in general. In neutral modern English, 'farmer' is the safer word.

常見錯誤

❌My uncle owns a large modern farm, so he is a peasant.
✅My uncle owns a large modern farm, so he is a farmer.
💡'peasant' usually suggests poverty, low social rank, or a historical setting.
❌The peasants in Canada bought new machines for their huge farms.
✅The farmers in Canada bought new machines for their huge farms.
💡the ordinary word for present-day farm workers or owners is usually 'farmer'.

2. an insulting word for someone seen as rude, rough, or lacking basic manners or e

2.名詞C2
釋義

鄉巴佬

罵人粗俗沒教養的人

an insulting word for someone seen as rude, rough, or lacking basic manners or education.

例句

The hotel manager called the noisy guests peasants after midnight.

半夜過後，旅館經理把那些吵鬧的客人罵成鄉巴佬。

insult pattern: call someone a peasant

Don't call Ben a peasant because he ate pizza by hand.

別因為 Ben 用手吃披薩就叫他鄉巴佬。

同義詞
  • boor

    more literary and focused on bad manners

  • lout

    suggests rude, awkward behavior and little consideration for others

  • oaf

    often stresses clumsy or foolish behavior more than class

反義詞
  • gentleman

    traditional word for a man seen as polite and well-mannered

  • lady

    traditional word for a woman seen as polite and refined

文法句型

call someone a peasant

treat someone like a peasant

peasants in mocking speech

用法筆記

Strongly insulting and often tied to class prejudice. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense attacks a person's manners or social image, not their real job.

常見錯誤

❌The peasants in the village grew rice and beans.
✅The farmers in the village grew rice and beans.
💡sense 2 is an insult, so it is wrong if you only mean people who farm.
❌My classmate is a peasant because her family is poor.
✅My classmate comes from a poor family.
💡calling someone 'a peasant' is offensive and judges the person, not just their income.