圣贤 (shèng xián) — sages and worthies; people of supreme virtue and wisdom (especially ancient Confucian exemplars)
Definition
A formal, literary term for ancient sages and moral exemplars in Confucian tradition — not used for ordinary people. Note the second character is xián ('worthy'), entirely different from 酒 ('wine/alcohol') in sound and meaning.
noun
sages and worthiespeople of supreme virtue and wisdom (especially ancient Confucian exemplars)
Measure word · 位
Examples
- 圣贤。Gǔ shí hou de shèng xián liú xià le hěn duō jiào dǎo hòu rén de huà.The sages and worthies of ancient times left behind many teachings for later generations.
- 圣贤,。Tā yì shēng dōu zài xué xí shèng xián de pǐn dé, xī wàng néng chéng wéi duì shè huì yǒu yòng de rén.He spent his whole life studying the virtues of the sages, hoping to become a person useful to society.
- 圣贤,。Zhè xiē jīng diǎn shì shèng xián zhì huì de jié jīng, zhí dé fǎn fù yuè dú.These classics are the crystallized wisdom of the sages and worthies, worth reading again and again.
Appears in
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