绅士 (shēn shì) — (noun) gentleman; (adjective) gentlemanly, of a…

Definition

绅士 emphasizes refined manners and gentlemanly conduct, not just being male. 男士 is a neutral polite 'gentleman/man'; 先生 is mainly 'Mr.' or 'sir'.

noun

gentleman

adjective

gentlemanlyof a gentleman

Measure word · 位

绅士，。
Tā shì yí wèi zhēn zhèng de shēn shì, zǒng shì wèi bié rén zhuó xiǎng.
He is a true gentleman, always thinking of others.
绅士。
Nà ge shēn shì de xíng wéi fēi cháng dé tǐ.
That gentleman's behavior is very proper.
绅士。
Tā de shēn shì fēng dù yíng dé le dà jiā de zūn zhòng.
His gentlemanly manner won everyone's respect.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

绅, the gentry, and 士, the scholar, are parallel terms for men of standing, giving 'gentleman' or 'gentlemanly'.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 紳; 绅 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìthread

Sound part声符shēngfú

申

Same sound today

The traditional form 紳 pairs 糸 (thread) with the sound 申, and represents a large sash used for formal dress.

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.

Appears in