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哲人 (zhé rén) — sage; philosopher

Definition

Literary/written term for a 'sage' or 'philosopher,' emphasizing wisdom and moral stature. Slightly more elevated and old-fashioned than the everyday 哲学家.

noun
sagephilosopher
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 哲人。
    Zhè wèi zhé rén de sī xiǎng yǐng xiǎng le hěn duō rén.
    This philosopher's thoughts have influenced many people.
  • 哲人。
    Gǔ dài zhé rén cháng cháng sī kǎo rén shēng de yì yì.
    Ancient sages often pondered the meaning of life.
  • 哲人，，。
    Tā shì yí wèi zhēn zhèng de zhé rén, bù jǐn xué shí yuān bó, ér qiě pǐn dé gāo shàng.
    He is a true sage, not only learned but also of noble character.

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.

哲zhéwise
人rénperson

哲 means wise and 人 means person, so the word denotes a wise person.

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kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
折
折zhé哲zhé
Same sound today

The form 哲 pairs 口 (mouth) with 折, which gives the sound.

Open 哲 →

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 →
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