小生 (xiǎo shēng) — young male role in traditional Chinese opera (e.g., scholar, student); (humble, in classical contexts) I, your pupil (self-reference used by a young male)
Definition
A term from traditional Chinese opera: a young male role (scholar, student). In classical writing, the same word is also a humble first-person self-reference used by a young man speaking to a superior.
noun
young male role in traditional Chinese opera (e.g., scholar, student)(humble, in classical contexts) Iyour pupil (self-reference used by a young male)
Examples
- 小生。Tā zài xì zhōng bàn yǎn xiǎo shēng jué sè.He plays the role of a young scholar in the opera.
- 小生，。xiǎo shēng Bù cái, yuàn xiào quǎn mǎ zhī láo.I, your humble pupil, though untalented, wish to serve you faithfully.
- 小生。Zhè bù jīng jù de xiǎo shēng yóu yí wèi nián qīng yǎn yuán shì yǎn.The young male lead in this Peking opera is played by a young actor.
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.
小 means young or humble, and 生 refers to a male role or student, so it names a young male role or humble I.
Appears in
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