志愿者 (zhìyuànzhě)

志愿者 refers to a volunteer, a person who freely offers their time and effort to help others without expecting payment.

Meanings

[noun] a volunteer; someone who helps willingly without payment

Example Sentences

他是一名社区志愿者，每周帮助老人。 Tā shì yī míng shèqū zhìyuànzhě, měi zhōu bāngzhù lǎorén. He is a community volunteer who helps elderly people every week.

这次活动需要招募五十名志愿者。 Zhè cì huódòng xūyào zhāomù wǔshí míng zhìyuànzhě. This event needs to recruit fifty volunteers.

很多大学生利用假期做志愿者服务。 Hěn duō dàxuéshēng lìyòng jiàqī zuò zhìyuànzhě fúwù. Many university students use their holidays to do volunteer service.

她在灾区做了三个月的志愿者工作。 Tā zài zāiqū zuòle sān gè yuè de zhìyuànzhě gōngzuò. She did three months of volunteer work in the disaster area.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
志愿者服务	volunteer service
招募志愿者	to recruit volunteers
社区志愿者	community volunteer
做志愿者	to be a volunteer

Usage Notes

志愿者 comes from 志愿 (aspiration/voluntary) plus 者 (person suffix). It is the standard modern term for "volunteer" in mainland China. The related word 义工 is also used, especially in Hong Kong and Taiwan. 志愿者 has a positive social connotation and is associated with civic responsibility.

Memory Hook

志 means "aspiration/will," 愿 means "wish/willing," and 者 means "person." So 志愿者 is a "person of willing aspiration": someone who volunteers from the heart.