Definition
世家 refers to a family that has held prominent social status, official power, or cultural influence for several generations — the closest English glosses are 'aristocratic family' or 'old money', but the Chinese concept is broader and often tied to scholarly/official lineages (e.g., 书香世家 'scholarly family'). The term also appears as a literary genre: Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian has a 世家 section for ruling houses and noble clans.
n.
aristocratic familyfamily influential for generations
Examples
- 世家，。Tā chūshēn yú míngmén shì jiā, zǔ shàng hǎo jǐ dài dōu shì cháotíng gāoguān.He comes from a distinguished aristocratic family; several previous generations were high officials at court.
- 世家，。shì jiā zǐdì cóngxiǎo jiēshòu yángé de jiājiào, yánxíng jǔzhǐ dōu hěn yǒu guīju.Children from aristocratic families receive strict home education from a young age, and their manners are very proper.
- 世家，。Nà shì yí ge zhùmíng de shūxiāng shì jiā, chū guò hǎo jǐ wèi dà xuézhě.That is a renowned scholarly family, which has produced several great scholars.
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