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读书人 (dú shū rén) — educated person, scholar, intellectual (often with traditional or Confucian connotations)

Definition

Literally 'reading-person', but 读书人 means a scholarly, educated person in the traditional Confucian sense — a learned intellectual respected for devotion to study, not just 'a literate person'.

noun
educated personscholarintellectual (often with traditional or Confucian connotations)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，读书人。
    Zài gǔ dài, dú shū rén de shè huì dì wèi hěn gāo.
    In ancient times, scholars had a very high social status.
  • 读书人，。
    Tā shì yí wèi zhēn zhèng de dú shū rén, yì shēng dōu zài yán jiū lì shǐ.
    He is a true scholar who spent his whole life studying history.
  • ，读书人。
    Nà ge shí dài, dú shū rén shòu rén zūn jìng.
    In that era, educated people were respected by others.

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.

读书read books
读dúread书shūbook
动宾Verb + object
人rénperson

读 gives reading, 书 gives books, and 人 gives a person who does this.

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 讀; 读 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánto say
Sound part声符shēngfú
𧶠
𧶠𧶠讀dú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 讀 is made of 言 ('to say') and 𧶠 (giving the sound); this description is about 讀, not 读.

Open 读 →

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 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →

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 →
Appears in
People (General)School & Education

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