书生 (shū shēng) — scholar (often in a traditional or historical context); bookish person; impractical intellectual (sometimes derogatory)

Definition

书生 is a scholar in the traditional/literary sense — someone defined by book learning, often portrayed as naive about real-world affairs. In modern use it can sound slightly dismissive, like calling someone a 'bookish intellectual'.

noun
scholar (often in a traditional or historical context)bookish personimpractical intellectual (sometimes derogatory)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 书生。
    Gǔ dài hěn duō shū shēng dōu xī wàng tōng guò kē jǔ kǎo shì gǎi biàn mìng yùn.
    In ancient times, many scholars hoped to change their fate through the imperial examinations.
  • 书生，。
    Tā zhǐ shì yí gè shū shēng, duì shí jì shēng yì yí qiào bù tōng.
    He's just a bookish scholar with no understanding of real business.
  • 书生，。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ de shū shēng wǎng wǎng xìng gé jué jiàng, dàn xīn dì shàn liáng.
    The scholar in the novel is often stubborn in character but kind-hearted.

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.

书shūbook
生shēngperson

书 marks books or scholarship and 生 marks a person, giving a scholar.

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 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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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