TongTong
Sign in

完人 (wán rén) — paragon of virtue; perfect person (Confucian ideal)

Definition

A learned, literary term for a morally flawless person — typically used in the negative (as in 完人 is rare or impossible), reflecting a Confucian ideal of self-cultivation rather than a casual compliment.

noun
paragon of virtueperfect person (Confucian ideal)

Examples

  • 完人。
    Lì shǐ shàng hěn shǎo yǒu rén néng bèi chēng zuò wán rén.
    Few people in history can be called a paragon of virtue.
  • 完人？
    Kǒng zǐ xīn mù zhōng de wán rén shì shén me yàng de?
    What kind of person is the perfect person in Confucius's mind?
  • ，完人。
    Tā nǔ lì xiū shēn, xī wàng chéng wéi wán rén.
    He strives to cultivate himself, hoping to become a paragon of virtue.

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.

完wánperfect
人rénperson

A 人 who is 完, a person regarded as morally perfect and without flaws.

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán完wán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

完 pairs 宀 (roof) with 元, which gives the sound.

Open 完 →

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 →
Appears in
People (General)Personality & Traits

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.