士人 (shì rén) — scholar (in traditional Chinese society); educated man of the literati class

Definition

士人 is a literary/historical term for an educated Confucian scholar in imperial China — someone whose learning qualified them for office. It is more formal and historical than modern 学者, which refers to any scholar or academic today.

noun
scholar (in traditional Chinese society)educated man of the literati class
Easily confused

Examples

  • 士人。
    Gǔ dài shì rén yǐ dú shū xiū shēn wéi zhǔ.
    Ancient scholars focused on reading and self-cultivation.
  • 士人，。
    Zhè wèi shì rén bù jǐn xué wèn hǎo, ér qiě pǐn dé gāo shàng.
    This scholar not only had great learning but also noble character.
  • 士人。
    Lì shǐ shàng xǔ duō shì rén dōu céng dān rèn guò guān zhí.
    Many scholars in history once held official positions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

士shìscholar
人rénperson

士 names a scholar, and 人 names a person of that kind.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 士 comes from a simple drawing of a war axe. The character later came to mean a soldier, officer, or intellectual.

Open 士 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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