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君子 (jūn zǐ) — (noun) a person of noble character and moral integrity (Confucian ideal)

Definition

A Confucian moral ideal — a person of noble character and integrity. Unlike 贵族, which refers to social rank or aristocratic birth, 君子 is about virtue, not class.

noun
a person of noble character and moral integrity (Confucian ideal)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 君子，。
    jūn zǐ Yì yán, sì mǎ nán zhuī.
    A gentleman's word is hard to take back (lit. even a team of horses can't chase it down).
  • ，君子。
    Tā wèi rén qiān xū zhèng zhí, shì gè zhēn zhèng de jūn zǐ.
    He is modest and upright — a true gentleman.
  • 君子。
    jūn zǐ Zhī jiāo dàn rú shuǐ.
    The friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water.

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.

君jūnruler/lord
子zǐperson

君 (ruler/lord) and 子 (person) combine to denote a person of noble character.

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
尹
尹yǐn君jūn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

君 combines 尹 and 口. Early forms were often interchangeable with 尹, and 口 may show commands or simply be decorative.

Open 君 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Chinese Culture & CustomsPersonality & Traits

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