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修士 (xiū shì) — (religious) brother, friar; (classical/literary) a man of irreproachable conduct

Definition

In modern Chinese, 修士 most commonly means a (religious) friar or monk, especially in Christianity. The classical sense — 'a man of perfect virtue' — is rare and literary.

noun
(religious) brotherfriar(classical/literary) a man of irreproachable conduct
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 修士。
    Tā zài xiū dào yuàn lǐ zuò xiū shì.
    He works as a friar in the monastery.
  • 修士，。
    Gǔ shū shàng chēng tā wèi xiū shì, yì si shì dé xíng wán měi de rén.
    Ancient texts call him a man of irreproachable conduct, meaning someone of perfect virtue.
  • 修士。
    Tā zhèng zài gōng dú xiū shì xué wèi.
    He is currently pursuing a Master's degree.

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.

修xiūcultivate
士shìscholar

修 indicates cultivation or religious practice, and 士 denotes a person of standing, so the word means a cultivated person or friar.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu修xiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

修 is built from 攸, which gives the sound, and 彡, a set of three strokes that shows the meaning.

Open 修 →

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 →
Appears in
Professions & JobsReligion & Belief

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